Newporttown, Isle of Wight, historic county of Hampshire, England. It lies near the centre of the diamond-shaped island at the head of the River Medina’s estuary, 5 miles (8 km) from its mouth at Cowes. Newport was probably the Roman settlement of Medina, but there is no trace of Saxon or Jute settlement. The first charter was granted between 1177 and 1184, and the borough was incorporated in 1608. Newport early superseded nearby Carisbrooke (now a suburb) as the island’s capital because of its facilities for trade. It remains the island’s agricultural and administrative centre. Parkhurst, a major British maximum-security prison, stands on the outskirts. Pop. (19912001) 2022,574957.