William Newton MP

Slave-owner in St Croix, MP for Ipswich 1818-1820, and father of Alfred Newton who is in the ODNB as 'zoologist'. William Newton's father is given as 'James Newton of Stowey, Somerset' in the History of Parliament, but most secondary sources show his father of Samuel Newton 'of St Kitts' with property also in St Croix.

1. 'The family, of Lincolnshire origin, moved to Elveden in 1813 from their sugar plantations in St Croix in the West Indies, which they retained.'

2. Newton was a political ally of Robert Alexander Crickitt, 'whose wife's family were also Santa Cruz proprietors.' Crickitt was MP for Ipswich between 1807 and 14/06/1820. Crickitt had married Juliana Maria Eliza, daughter of Cornelius Henderixon Kortright of St Croix and Hylands, Essex (q.v.).

3. The will of William Newton late of Elvedon Hall who died 04/11/1862 proved 15/11/1862, effects under £7000, resworn at under £6000 1864. After his death the house, now more commonly known as Elveden Hall, was sold to Maharajah Duleep Singh, and then in 1894 to the Earl of Iveagh. whose family still own it.

For the father of William Newton as Samuel Newton, see e.g. A. F. R. Wollaston, Life of Alfred Newton (New York, 1921) p. 1. This is confirmed in the will of Elizabeth Newton of Nottingham Place Middlesex proved 11/04/1832, PROB 11/1798/390, in which she described herself as widow of Samuel Newton and William Newton as her son [in fact stepson].

1. David E. Evans, ‘Newton, Alfred (1829–1907)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/35221, accessed 17 Sept 2015]. The article describes his father as 'plantation owner and MP' and gives his date-of-birth as 1782; Ancestry.com, Oxford University Alumni, 1500-1886 [database online].

2. Winifred Stokes, 'Newton, William (1783?-1862) of Elvedon [sic] Hall, Suff.', History of Parliament http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/newton-william-1783-1862 [accessed 17/09/2015]. The entry says 'Newton’s family were connected with the West Indies and had plantations in Santa Cruz.' It gives Robert Alexander Crickitt as Ralph Alexander Crickitt; R.A. Thorne, 'Crickitt, Robert Alexander (1784-1832), of Smith's Hall Essex and Brompton Square, Middx.' http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/crickitt-robert-alexander-1784-1832 [accessed 17/09/2015].

3. National Probate Calendar 1862.