Sir Adam Newton, 1st Baronet (died 1630) was a Scottish scholar, royal tutor,

dean of Durham The Dean of Durham is the "head" (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the Chapter, the ruling body of Durham Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cu ...

and baronet.

Life

He was the son of Adam Newton, a baker or "baxter" who was a burgess of Edinburgh from February 1562. 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 Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...

. There, for some time between 1580 and 1590, he instructed the future theologian

André Rivet André Rivet (Andreas Rivetus) (August 1572 – 7 January 1651) was a French Huguenot theologian. Life Rivet was born at Saint-Maixent, 43 km (27 mi) southwest of Poitiers, France. After completing his education at Bern, he studied the ...

in Greek. After his return to Scotland in about 1600, he was appointed to tutor Prince Henry at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

. In 1602 he bought books for the prince from Andro Hart in Edinburgh. After the

Union of Crowns The Union of the Crowns (; ) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas diplomacy) of the two separate realms under a single i ...

he came to England, and was naturalized as an English citizen in James's first English parliament by an act of Parliament ( 1 Jas. 1. c. ''25''). 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 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, the ...

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612) was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart period, Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury ser ...

wrote humorous letters to Newton. Apologising for a breach of manners, he compared himself to the court jester Tom Durie. 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. 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 Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

, 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 Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, 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 David Cunningham of Auchenharvie (died 1659) was a Scottish courtier and landowner. An absentee owner of Auchenharvie Castle, in London he was an administrator of income to Charles I of England, as "Receiver of the rents the king had as Prince Cha ...

and Peter Newton were instructed to use a legacy to rebuild the nearby St Luke's Church, Charlton.

Works

Newton translated into Latin King James's ''Discourse against Vorstius'' and books i-vi. of

Paolo Sarpi Paolo Sarpi, O.S.M. (14 August 1552 – 15 January 1623) was an Italian Servite friar and Catholic priest who was a notable historian, scientist, canon lawyer, polymath and statesman active on behalf of the Venetian Republic during the period ...

'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 Sir Nathaniel Brent (c. 1573 – 6 November 1652) was an English college head. Life He was the son of Anchor Brent of Little Wolford, Warwickshire, where he was born about 1573. He became 'portionist,' or postmaster, of Merton College, Oxford, ...

. 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 Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess 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 John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

.John Nichols, ''Progresses of James the First'', vol. 1 (London, 1828), p. 600. 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 Edward Peyto (1589–1643) was an English landowner. He was the son of William Peyto (d. 1619) and Elienora or Eleanor Aston (d. 1636), a daughter of Walter Aston of Tixall, and widow of Thomas Boulding. His estates were at Chesterton, Warwick ...

in 1625 * Jane Newton, who married James Enyon

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Adam 16th-century births 1630 deaths Year of birth missing 16th-century Scottish educators 17th-century Scottish educators 17th-century translators Court of James VI and I Scottish translators Deans of Durham Puckering baronets People of Stirling Castle Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales 17th-century Scottish non-fiction writers 17th-century Scottish male writers 16th-century Scottish writers 16th-century Scottish male writers 16th-century translators