The Newports and the Earl – 5 ‘John Newport – buried Holborn, 1778’

In Dec 2019, I wrote to Find A Grave (and copied in the original contributor) with a request for edit of the entry at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/137407989 In this entry John Newport, buried at Holborn in 1778 is incorrectly associated as the illegitimate son of Henry Newport, 3rd of Bradford. It hasn’t been amended so here is my public facing contribution.

My submission was;

Suggested edit: Regrettably the John Newport described in this memorial is not the illegitimate son of Henry Newport, the Earl of Bath.

John Newport (formerly John Harrison) the Earl’s illegitimate son died on 29 April 1783 and was buried on 9 May 1783 in Pulteney’s Vault at Westminster Abbey.

Sources include The Marriage, Baptismal, and Burial Registers of the Collegiate Church or Abbey of St Peter, Westminster, Volume 10 edited by Joseph Lemuel Chester, 1876, (digitised copy available at Google books) which states
“page 436…

1783 … May 9 John Newport, Esq. ;(footnote)3 died April 29th, in his 63rd year: in a vault opposite the door of St. Paul’s Chapel. ……

(footnote) 3 Illegitimate son of Henry, third Earl of Bradford (see his burial 20 Jan. 1734-5), by Mrs. Anne Smyth (see her burial 7 Nov. 1742). He was known at first by the name of John Harrison, but by a private Act of Parliament in 1736 his name was changed to Newport according to the directions of his father. He was a lunatic throughout the most, if not the whole, of his life.”

Current weblinks to Westminster confirm this source information. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/henry-newport-earl-of-bradford accessed 29Dec2019

I should also note that the definition of lunacy in the 1700’s is really not definable from any material I have read to date. The only certainty would seem to be that he was confined or cared for from around 1742-1743 until his passing and that this followed his return from travel to France. It also seems fairly clear that the Pulteney/Earl of Bath and possibly his mother’s trusted surgeon Alexander Small both gained financially as a result of his continued confinement.

I wish the original submitter good fortune with identifying ‘their’ John Newport and extend my best wishes for their interest in their family history. I admit that before substantial research, I had a great deal of confusion about John Newport son of Henry, Earl of Bradford. I would be pleased to assist with future exploration or materials gathered, if they would care to contact me via this site. contribution ended

Summary

John Newport the illegitimate son of Henry Newport died and was interred in Westminster Abbey in 1783. This is proven so the John Newport buried in Holborn was not the same.

I have had a quick look at this event.

John Newport of Grays Inn Lanes was buried on 11 Sep 1778 at St Andrew, Holborn. [1] Nothing else is needed to evidence that this was not John Newport, formerly John Harrison.

There were also other Holborn resident Newports referenced during my brief search for any other obvious family groups around Holborn.

I found an advertisement from G Newport Coachmaker, 84 Gray’s Inn Lanes in an Aug 1778 newspaper but have no evidence to connect this with this John Newport [2]

I then found a birth record for Mary Newport, daughter of John and Mary Newport registered in Holborn, Middlesex, with birth on 15 Sept 1763. [3] {Amendment 7 Sept 2020 Incorrect reference attached – removed prior checking of reference consistency Tim Isaacs] Consistent to show that a John Newport was probably resident in Holborn during this period, but I would suggest this is not overwhelming evidence of a family group.

I also found a baptism record for a John Newport, baptised 16 Apr 1734 at Holborn [4] Again this is not evidence of this being the John Newport who died in 1778. However it does provide evidence of Newport’s in Holborn that are not related to Henry Newport, the 3rd Earl of Bradford.

I welcome comment and feedback. I would especially request that those who posit John Harrison (sic) Newport, the son of Henry Newport 3rd Earl of Bradford either to produce evidence or “break the link” to a burial in Holborn in 1778, in their published trees.

References follow on page 2