John Newdigate (1600 – 29 November 1642) was an English politician and poet who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1628 to 1629.

Life

Newdigate was the second child and eldest son of Sir John Newdigate of Arbury Hall, Chilvers Coton,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

and his wife Anne Fitton, eldest daughter of Sir Edward Fitton, 1st Baronet of

Gawsworth Gawsworth is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,705. It is one of the eight ancient parishes of Mac ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

. He was the brother of

Sir Richard Newdigate, 1st Baronet Sir Richard Newdigate, 1st Baronet (17 September 1602 – 14 October 1678). was an English judge, landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660. Family Richard Newdigate was a younger son of Sir John Newdigate (5 March 1571 ...

.William Duncombe Pink, Alfred B. Beaven ''The parliamentary representation of Lancashire, (county and borough), 1258-1885, with biographical and genealogical notices of the members, &c.'' (1889)
/ref> and succeeded his father in 1610, inheriting Arley Hall, which his financially embarrassed grandfather had accepted in exchange for the family seat at Harefield, Middlesex. He matriculated at

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

on 6 November 1618, aged 18. He was a student of

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

and of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1620. He was appointed High Sheriff of Warwickshire for 1625–26 and was a justice of the peace for the county from 1630 to 1636. In 1628, he was elected member of parliament for

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. 'Alumni Oxonienses, 1500-1714: Nabbes-Nykke', Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714 (1891), pp. 1050-1083. Date accessed: 3 June 2012
/ref> John Newdigate married Susanna, the daughter of

Arnold Lulls Arnold Lulls (floruit 1580–1625) was a Flemish goldsmith and jeweller in London. He served the court and made several pieces intended as diplomatic gifts. Career He was born in Antwerp, and settled in London before 1585, and became a denizen of ...

a London goldsmith in 1621. The courtier Sir John Tonstal was a witness to the marriage settlement. Tonstal may have made an introduction between the apparently wealthy goldsmith and a gentry family in some financial difficulty. There were difficulties with the payment of the dowry to Newdigate, and a court case, suggesting that Lulls at this time was in financial difficulty himself. The couple lived at

Ashtead Ashtead is a village in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, approximately south of central London. Ashtead is on the single-carriageway A24 road (Great Britain), A24 between Epsom and Leatherhead. The village is on the northern sl ...

, Arbury Hall, and after 1633 rented a house at Croydon. They were both friends of

Gilbert Sheldon Gilbert Sheldon (19 June 1598 – 9 November 1677) was an English religious leader who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1663 until his death. Early life Sheldon was born in Stanton, Staffordshire in the parish of Ellastone, on 19 J ...

, who later became

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

. Newdigate was very keen on drama and poetry and he write poetry himself. Some of his "strong lines" were written in praise of the ability of

Jane Burdett Jane Burdett born Jane Francis became Jane, Lady Burdett (d. 1637). She lived at Foremark in Derbyshire and she was known for her learning. Life Burdett's birthplace and date are not known but she was the daughter (possibly only child) of Eliza ...

of Foremark. Newdigate died at the age of about 42 and was buried at Harefield. Newdigate had no surviving children and left the mortgaged Arbury estate to his brother Richard, who subsequently prospered to the degree that he was able to buy back the family's Harefield seat.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Newdigate, John 1600 births 1642 deaths English MPs 1628–1629 Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Members of Gray's Inn Members of the Inner Temple High sheriffs of Warwickshire Sheriffs of Warwickshire Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Liverpool