Gabriel Newton (1683–1762) was a leading figure in the English city of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

."Origins and Early History of Alderman Newton's Foundation", by R W Greaves
Accessed 26 March 2015 Born in Leicester, he was a wool-comber by trade and later became landlord of the Horse and Trumpet Inn. In 1710 he was appointed as a member of the city's Corporation, in 1726 was chosen as an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

, and in 1732 was elected as

Mayor of Leicester The Mayor of Leicester, styled ''City Mayor'' to distinguish from the Lord Mayor of Leicester, is the directly elected mayor responsible for the executive function of Leicester City Council in England. The incumbent is Peter Soulsby of the ...

. He was married three times, and each of his wives was a woman of considerable wealth, and thus he himself became rich. After the death of his only son, Newton had no descendants, so he left his fortune to aid the education of the poor, establishing a

charity school Charity schools, sometimes called blue coat schools, or simply the Blue School, were significant in the history of education in England. They were built and maintained in various parishes by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants to ...

in Leicester at the Church of St Mary de Castro, which was opened in 1785 after legal problems with his will. It was known as the Greencoat School from the uniform worn by the pupils. His school later became Alderman Newton's School and survived until 1999 when it was merged by the local authority with two other local schools to form a single educational institution and also roles the mathematical roles. Newton is one of the four men portrayed on Leicester's

Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower The Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower is a major landmark and popular meeting point in Leicester, England. It is located roughly in the middle of the area inside the ring-road, and is at the point where five major streets meet; Gallowtree Gate, Humbe ...

. He is buried in the graveyard of All Saints Church, Leicester on Highcross Street where his memorial tomb can be seen.

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External links

* http://www.leicester.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=33201 {{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Gabriel 1683 births 1762 deaths Textile workers Mayors of places in Leicestershire 18th-century English people