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The name Newtown was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Newtown family lived in Cheshire, at Newton. The surname Newtown was originally derived from the Old English words, neowe, meaning new, and tun, meaning enclosure or settlement. 1
The surname Newtown was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where Alward de Niwetuna was recorded as holding lands in Norfolk at that time. 2 Years later, Robert de Neweton was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1190 for Yorkshire and Stephen de Neuton was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire c. 1280. 3
Other early rolls entries include: Gannora de Neutone, Staffordshire; Ralph de Neatone, Huntingdonshire; and Alan de Neuton, Lincolnshire, all listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include entries for: Willelmus de Neweton; and Johannes de Neuton. 4
While there are many parishes so named, one source claim the family is "from Newton in Haddingtonshire. The family were seated there in 1377; Sir Isaac Newton derived his descent from them." 5
Much of the family was found in Cheshire at Wilmslow, a parish, in the union of Altrincham, hundred of Macclesfield. "In the north chapel [of Wilmslow church] are two altar-tombs sunk in the wall, on which are figures representing the Newtons of Newton and Pownall." 6 We must take a moment to explore the hamlet of Woolsthorpe in Lincolnshire. "This is an ancient hamlet, consisting of a few farmhouses and thatched cottages, with the old manor-house, in which the immortal Sir Isaac Newton was born, on Christmas-day, 1642. His father, John Newton, Esq., was lord of the manor. Great care is taken for the preservation of the house; and when it was repaired, in 1798, a tablet of white marble, commemorating the philosopher's birth, was put up in the chamber where the event took place." 6
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newtown research. Another 225 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1166, 1374, 1446, 1463, 1479, 1543, 1579, 1626, 1642, 1660, 1661, 1699 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Newtown History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Newtown are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Newtown include Newton, Newdon and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), the English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. He is probably best remembered for his Principia, where Newton formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation.
Sir...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Newtown Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Newtown, or a variant listed above: