Newark, a small quoad sacra parish in the town of Port Glasgow, Renfrewshire. Constituted by the Court of Teinds in 1855, it is in the presbytery of Greenock and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Its church was built in- 1774 as a chapel-of ease, and contains 1600 sittings. The ancient barony of Newark, which in 1373 belonged to Sir Robert Danyelstoun, knight, and passed by marriage to the Maxwells in 1402, lay partly in the parish of Port Glasgow, but chiefly in that of Kilmalcolm. But the ancient baronial residence, which still is fairly entire, stands in Port Glasgow parish, on a spit of land projecting into the Clyde, in the eastern vicinity of the town of Port Glasgow, and forms a prominent feature in the landscape, whilst itself commanding a splendid view of the surrounding scenery. Forming three sides of a square, the fourth side being open towards the S, it bears over its main door the monogram of Patrick Maxwell, with this inscription beneath: 'The Blissingis of God be heirin, Anno 1597;' but the two blocks forming the southern extremities of its eastern and western wings were probably built in the second half of the preceding century. It ceased to be inhabited by its owners in the beginning of the 18th century, but still is maintained in weather-tight condition by the present owner, Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, Bart. The site of the town of Port Glasgow originally bore the name of Newark; and the bay, which was converted into a spacious wet dock at a cost of £35, 000, with large quays and bond warehouses, together with extensive enclosed spaces for timber, still bears the name of Newark Bay. Pop. of q. s. parish (1871) 3359, (1881) 3287.—Ord. Sur., sh. 30, 1866. See 'Notes on Newark Castle,' by G. Washington Browne, in vol. xvi. of Procs. Soc. Ants. Seotl. (Edinb. 1882).

(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)