Sir Adam Newton, 1st Baronet

Naturalization of Adam Newton Act 1603
Naturalization of Adam Newton Act 1603
Act of Parliament
Citation	1 Jas. 1. c. 25
Dates
Royal assent	7 July 1604

Last updated June 16, 2024

Sir Adam Newton, 1st Baronet (died 1630) was a Scottish scholar, royal tutor, dean of Durham and baronet.

Life

He spent part of his early life in France, passing himself off as a priest and teaching at the college of St. Maixant in Poitou. There, for some time between 1580 and 1590, he instructed the future theologian André Rivet in Greek. After his return to Scotland he was, about 1600, appointed tutor to Prince Henry at Stirling Castle. In 1602 he bought books for the prince from Andro Hart in Edinburgh.^[1]

After the Union of Crowns he came to England, and was naturalized as an English citizen in James's first English parliament.^[2] In 1605 he obtained the deanery of Durham through royal influence, although he was not in orders, and was installed by proxy. The duties of the office must also have been done by proxy, if at all. In 1606 he acquired the manor of Charlton, Kent, where he built Charlton House.

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury wrote humorous letters to Newton. Apologising for a breach of manners, he compared himself to the court jester Tom Durie.^[3] In another letter to Newton he wrote that if a certain man failed to gain a place in Prince Henry's household, he should be sent to "Tom Dyrry or to me". The applicant was poor but could become rich by charging a fee to all the girls in England who wished to meet the Prince.^[4]

He continued as tutor to Prince Henry until 1610, when, upon the formation of a separate household for his pupil, now created Prince of Wales, he was appointed his secretary. After the death of Prince Henry, in 1612, Newton became receiver-general, or treasurer in the household of Prince Charles, relinquishing to Thomas Murray his claim to the secretaryship. He retained his post until his death. In 1620 he was made a baronet, first selling the deanery of Durham to Dr. Richard Hunt, and presumably paying for his new honour with the proceeds. After Charles's accession Newton became secretary to the council, and in 1628 secretary to the marches of Wales, the reversion of which office had been granted to him as early as 1611; it was worth £2,000 year.

He died 13 January 1630. His executors David Cunningham of Auchenharvie and Peter Newton were instructed to use a legacy to rebuild the nearby St Luke's Church, Charlton.^[5]

Works

Newton translated into Latin King James's Discourse against Vorstius and books i-vi. of Paolo Sarpi's History of the Council of Trent, which had been published in 1620 in London in an English version made from the Italian original by Sir Nathaniel Brent. Newton's translation was published anonymously in London in 1620. Thomas Smith complimented the work and man in his Vita quorumdam Eruditissimorum Virorum.

Family

In June 1605 Newton married Katherine Puckering, youngest daughter of Sir John Puckering, lord-keeper of the great seal in the reign of Elizabeth, whose son Thomas Puckering shared the prince's studies under Newton's guidance. King James gave them a gift of silver gilt plate supplied by the London goldsmith John Williams.^[6] Elizabeth Newton died in 1618. Their children included:

Henry Newton, who adopted his mother's surname, and became Sir Henry Puckering, 3rd Baronet, after inheriting his uncle Thomas Puckering's estates and titles in 1654.
Elizabeth Newton, who married Edward Peyto in 1625
Jane Newton, who married James Enyon

Notes

↑ 'Library of Queen Mary and of King James VI', Miscellany of the Maitland Club, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1833), p. 23
↑ "Acts of Parliament 1603 (3 Jan 1, c.25)".
↑ Henry Ellis, Original Letters Illustrative of English History, 3rd Series, vol. 4 (London, 1846), p. 163.
↑ Thomas Birch, Life of Henry Prince of Wales (London, 1760), p. 138
↑ John Burke, A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies of England (London, 1838), p. 385: Henry Vane, 'Historical Memoir on Charlton', Gentleman's Magazine (May 1865), pp. 576, 580.
↑ John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, vol. 1 (London, 1828), p. 600.

Related Research Articles

Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales,, was the eldest son and heir apparent of James VI and I, King of England and Scotland; and his wife Anne of Denmark. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley; and Frederick II of Denmark. Prince Henry was widely seen as a bright and promising heir to his father's thrones. However, at the age of 18, he predeceased his father, dying of typhoid fever. His younger brother Charles succeeded him as heir apparent to the English, Irish, and Scottish thrones.

Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1605 and 1622. He was created Earl of Berkshire in 1626.

Charlton House is a Jacobean building in Charlton, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich in south-east London. Originally it was a residence for a nobleman associated with the Stuart royal family. It later served as a wartime hospital, then a museum and library, and is now run by Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust.

There have been six baronetcies created for persons with the surname Newton, three in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom.

There have been two baronetcies created for members of the Puckering family.

Sir John Puckering was a lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal from 1592 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Vane the Elder</span> English politician

Sir Henry Vane, known as the Elder to distinguish him from his son, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1654. He served King Charles in many posts including secretary of state, but on the outbreak of the English Civil War joined the Parliamentary cause. He was the third cousin of Francis Fane, 1st Earl of Westmorland.

David Cunningham of Auchenharvie was a Scottish courtier and landowner. An absentee owner of Auchenharvie Castle, in London he was an administrator of royal rents to Charles I of England. A large number of his letters are preserved in the National Records of Scotland.

Sir Henry Puckering, 3rd Baronet was an English royalist and politician.

Thomas Murray was a Scottish courtier, at the end of his life Provost of Eton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Carey (English politician)</span> English politician

Thomas Carey was a courtier to Charles I and English Member of Parliament.

William Goodwin was an English Anglican clergyman and academic, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford from 1611.

Sir Thomas Puckering, 1st Baronet was an English landowner, courtier and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1629.

Sir David Foulis was a Scottish baronet and politician.

Alice Dudley, Duchess of Dudley, also known as Duchess Dudley, was the second wife of the explorer Sir Robert Dudley. In 1605, after giving birth to seven daughters, she was abandoned by her husband, who went into exile in Tuscany, remarried, and eventually sold his English estates. In 1644, by way of reparation for her losses, King Charles I created Alice Dudley a duchess in her own right "for her natural life", the dukedom thus created not being heritable.

Sir Thomas Chaloner was an English courtier and Governor of the Courtly College for the household of Prince Henry, son of James I. He was also responsible for introducing alum manufacturing to England. He was Member of Parliament for St Mawes in 1586 and for Lostwithiel in 1604. His third son was the Regicide Parliamentarian Thomas Chaloner. He is sometimes confused with his cousin Thomas Chaloner, a naturalist who prospected for alum.

St Luke's Church in Charlton, London, England, is an Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Southwark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Roger Dalison, 1st Baronet</span>

Sir Roger Dalison, 1st Baronet, of Laughton, Lincolnshire was an English courtier, Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance and Member of Parliament.

Tom Durie, Duri, Dury or Derry was a Scottish fool or entertainer to Anne of Denmark.

Edward Peyto (1589–1643) was an English landowner.

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : "Newton, Adam". Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Baronetage of England
New creation	Baronet (of Charlton) 1620–1630	Succeeded by William Newton

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] 'Library of Queen Mary and of King James VI', Miscellany of the Maitland Club, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1833), p. 23

[2] "Acts of Parliament 1603 (3 Jan 1, c.25)".

[3] Henry Ellis, Original Letters Illustrative of English History, 3rd Series, vol. 4 (London, 1846), p. 163.

[4] Thomas Birch, Life of Henry Prince of Wales (London, 1760), p. 138

[5] John Burke, A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies of England (London, 1838), p. 385: Henry Vane, 'Historical Memoir on Charlton', Gentleman's Magazine (May 1865), pp. 576, 580.

[6] John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, vol. 1 (London, 1828), p. 600.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]