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The terrace of Grade II listed Georgian houses on Wilson Street were built by Dr.Bernard Wilson (Vicar of Newark 1719 to 1772) in 1766, originally both sides of the street, the eastern terrace was largely demolished, though the end pavilion houses survive.
Wilson was a colourful and controversial character as an anonymous (though popularly thought to be by Thomas Heron) handwritten manuscript ‘Anecdotes of Dr.Bernard Wilson’ 1791 recounts ......
“A complete history of this extraordinary man, related at large,would fill many volumes. His violences, robberies, rapes, seductions, meditated assassinations with their overt attempts, forgeries, perjuries, subornations of perjury, thefts, frauds, extortions, persecutions, oppressions and multiplied crimes... commenced in early youth and accompanied him through life...”

Wilson was born in Newark in 1689, educated at Magnus Grammar School, Westminster School and Trinity College Cambridge. Whilst at Westminster School, he met his patron Thomas Pelham Holles, who later succeeded his father as Duke of Newcastle who held the Manor of Newark.

In 1719 Newcastle made Wilson Vicar of St. Mary Magdalene in Newark and Rector of Winthorpe, a living in the gift of the Corporation of Newark, with the expectation that Wilson would protect, support and further all of Newcastle’s interests in Newark. However, in 1736, Wilson unexpectedly inherited the very large estate of Sir George Markham, a former MP for Newark and became a very wealthy man. The relationship between Wilson and Newcastle soured over the next twenty years until Newcastle died in 1768 and Wilson in 1772, aged 83.

Created: Tue, 9 Jun 2015, Updated: Tue, 9 Jun 2015