The Newports and the Earl – 1
July 26, 2020
The Newports and the Earl – 3 ‘John Harrison, later John Newport’
August 9, 2020The Newports and the Earl – 2 ‘Nelson’
In this post I wish to establish the proven information we have on the Newport family group that left England at the start of May 1842 on the barque, Sir Charles Forbes, travelling to Nelson, New Zealand. My 3rd great grandfather, Samuel Newport was the eldest of the three brothers Samuel, Joseph and Stephen who travelled with their families to settle in New Zealand.
By apparent family group;
Group 1
- Samuel Newport 37
- Ann Newport, wife 35
- James Newport 15, single man
- Joseph Newport 14, single man
- Maria 13
- Mary Ann 10
- Jane 8
- Sarah 4
- Martha 1
Group 2
- Joseph Newport 36
- Mary Newport, wife, 25
- Walter 13
- Jesse 3
- Owen Infant
Group 3
- Stephen Newport 30
- Leah Newport, wife, 33
- Levinia 12
- Jane 8
- Rosa 6
We have 19 Newports to account for, of which there are 3 known fathers and 2 sons from within the family group described as single men without children.
Primarily using vital records I have constructed a coherent family lineage, which follows:
| Baptised (Death where known | Married | |
| 1 Samuel Newport UNPROVEN | 1724[i] | 7 Apr 1771 Great Missenden BUCKS [ii] |
| + Martha Stiles UNPROVEN | 11 Feb 1738 Monks Risborough BUCKS [iii] | |
| 2 Samuel Newport UNPROVEN | baptised 10 Jul 1771 Great Missenden BUCKS [iv] death 11 Dec 1839, Bryants Bottom, Great Hampden [xxx] | 23 Nov 1794 Ellesborough BUCKS [v] |
| +Caroline / Catharine/Katherine Bradley [xxxiii] | [vi] possibly Catherine Rundle Bradley born 16 Nov 1777 bap Westminster London FHL919228, 1999199(not referenced here) NOTE marriage relationship to Westminster baptised Catherine Bradley UNPROVEN death 25 Sep 1837 , Bryants Bottom, Great Hampden [xxxi] | |
| 3 Samuel Newport | 30 Jul 1797 Great Missenden BUCKS [vii] died 6 Sep 1880, Nelson, New Zealand [xxxiii] | 14 Apr 1823 Hayes, Hillingdon MDX [viii] |
| + Anne Wilsden | 14 Apr 1805 Edgcott BUCKS [ix] | |
| 4 James Newport | 18 Apr 1824 Cowley, Hillingdon MDX [x] | |
| 4 Joseph Newport | 6 Aug 1826 St Margaret, Uxbridge, Hillingdon [xi] | |
| 4 Maria Newport | 21 Sep 1828 West Wycombe BUCKS [xii] | |
| 4 Mary Ann Newport | 12 Feb 1831 West Wycombe BUCKS [xiii] | |
| 4 Jane Newport | 24 Aug 1834 Bradenham BUCKS [xiv] | |
| 4 Sarah Newport | 2 Jul 1837 Bradenham BUCKS [xv] | |
| 4 Martha Newport | 3rd quarter 1840 Wycombe BUCKS [xvi] | |
| 3 Joseph Newport | 16 Dec 1804 Great Hampden BUCKS [xvii] | 27 Apr 1837 Hughenden BUCKS [xviii] |
| +Mary Chilton | 7 Aug 1814 Great Kimble BUCKS [xix] | |
| 4 Walter Newport | 29 Jul 1827 Hughenden [xx] | |
| 4 Joyse “Jesse” Newport | 3rd quarter, 1839 Wycombe BUCKS [xxi] | |
| 4 Owen Newport | 3rd quarter 1841 Wycombe BUCKS [xxii] | |
| 3 Stephen Newport | 15 Jul 1810 Great Hampden BUCKS [xxiii] | 29 May 1828 Princes Risborough BUCKS [xxiv] |
| +Leah Saunders | [xxv], Calculated 1811 from Census 1841 [xxvi] | |
| 4 Levinia/ Lavinia Newport | [xxvi] , Calculated 1828 from Census 1841 | |
| 4 Jane Newport | [xxvi], Calculated 1834 from Census 1841 | |
| 4 Rosa Newport | [xxix], Calculated 1836 from Census 1841 |
John Newport, formerly John Harrison, the son of Henry Newport, 3rd Earl of Bradford
I have discovered no inference from either recorded oral history or other published material that the suggestion that the Nelson bound Newport’s relationship with the Earl of Bradford has any basis except for a possible unknown heir of John Newport, formerly John Harrison (ca 1720-1783) allegedly the natural son of Henry, 3rd Earl of Bradford and Ann Smyth.
All three of the Newports who travelled to Nelson were baptised at least 14 years after the death of John Newport. In addition, a consistent set of parents were named for each of the sons, together with consistent religious identity and consistent geographical location of the son’s baptisms and marriages .
In the absence of 18th century fraudulent church records over at least 13 years, 1 or 2 generations and at least 10 different churches, including a fradulent idenitification of the father Samuel at the time of each baptism, we have excluded the possibility of John Newport formerly John Harrison having an ancestral relationship with the Newports that travelled to Nelson.
In a future post we will commence a deeper look at John Newport formerly John Harrison, the apparent illegitimate son of Henry Newport, the 3rd Earl of Bradford.
References follow on page 2
9 Comments
Hi Tim
You aunt Sallie directed me to your website – she and my mum are cousins. Good on you for trying to dispel these myths. I to have tried whenever I see unsubstantiated information to have the links removed. While living in Aylesbury in the early 2000s I would travel through Great Missenden most days on my way to work and always think of the Newports and their journey to NZ. I didn’t take enough advantage of my time there to visit the record office, but I did see the Great Missenden burial register with Samuel Newports burial. I cannot recall now whether he was 90 or 96 when he died – the transcription has 90. Looking forward to more articles!
Amanda
Thanks so much for your interest and support Amanda. I can’t promise a lot more on our line, but am hoping that this subscription free site will generate a positive conversation and provide usable sources for others to verify, and use to fix up their particular subscription site. (of which I also belong to several). I am excited that Sallie, who is much more experienced than me in genealogy research, is seeking to go deeper into the origins of the Newports of Buckinghamshire.
Hi Tim, I’ve also been directed her by Sallie,
Firstly – THANK YOU! This rumour has been driving me nuts for more than 20 years. For some time I believed it and was very excited about my link to nobility. But it makes no real sense and the more I looked closely at details the less I believed it. About two years ago I deleted all people and references to the rumour from my tree which took weeks and weeks.
Secondly – I am absolutely fascinated with Samuel Newport (or ‘Old Sam’ as he often called himself). Ironically, I was working in an agency that worked with victims of Domestic Violence when I first read the newspaper reports about the inquests of Samuel’s later wives. I have no doubt in my mind that both deaths were directly caused by his violence and I question whether Anne Wilsden’s fatal haemorrhage at age 44 was also caused by this. There is no extra information re cause of the haemorrhage on Anne’s death certificate as Nelson had not yet established proper medical services until the cottage hospital opened in 1853.
Sam frequently placed advertisements/notices in, and wrote letters to the local paper and I have collected dozens and dozens of these over the years. Some of these notices were directed to those in debt with him, as well as the owners of wandering stock. One notice declared that he would kill a horse and hang it from a tree if it strayed into his property again. He was often taking people to court for petty matters. He was convicted of indecent exposure on several occasions. Earlier on the year of Susan Whiting’s death Sam was charged with being drunk and beating her (or as the courts phrased it ‘ill-using’ his wife). He was bailed out at a cost of fifty pounds. Susan would die of a brain haemorrhage less than 12 weeks later aged only 36 years and Sam would still have been under bail conditions when she died.
So what I have gleamed about my 3rd Great Grandfather is that he had a very bad temper and would escalate disagreements with others. In some Nelson council minutes he was “laughed down” after presenting his point. So he wasn’t a respected man. His abuse had been widely reported upon, and his wives inquests published lots of details about the type of person he was. I have read accounts that the nobility rumours were backed up by Samuel. I now believe that this is something he may have knowingly lied about to others. He liked to promote himself in the newspapers, so it would fit his character to tell people he should have been made an Earl.
This is my theory anyway. I hope to get to Nelson and spend some time at the family history library there, as there are published family histories linked to the Newports. As much as I am disgusted and at the same time fascinated by Samuel, I am immensely proud of the lives his children lived. Considering their upbringing they did really well for themselves. My 2nd Great Grandmother changed her name from Maria Sarah to Sarah Maria after the death and inquest of Maria Newport. Perhaps she didn’t want to share a name with her dead Stepmother.
Anyway keep up the good work!
Lesley
Hi Lesley.
Thank you so much for your comments. Like you I was fascinated by the idea of royal links, but it was just a bit too hard to take on the discrepancies when I started exploring family history (which I started after my son (now 10) asked many many questions about family.
Earlier, I concentrated on my paternal ancestry and my wife’s asian ancestry (another entire chapter), but the overwhelming number of unsourced ‘smart matches’ and ‘discoveries’ regarding the Countess Dowager and the Earl coming my way led me, first to disconnecting/unlinking and this year to researching this part of the Newport story.
I must thank Sallie for her encouragement and for continuing to work backwards in time, to what I hope is an extension to the Newport story.
It has been quite challenging, as apart from the clear domestic violence link in Nelson, even a cursory look at life in the mid -late 18th century, while fascinating, has been very very sobering with so much personal tragedy.
hI tim many hrs of research thankyou one question have print off a few pages but at the bottom of each page there is a picture both sides which covers names etc can we somehow cancel this ,, u look like a wise kid setting out this site well done regards mervyn
ps am not a member of the newports but doing it for a friend who is
Thanks Mervyn.
You are right, it has been many hours!!
Anyway a word document version has been sent to you directly. Please use freely.
I would welcome further comment on how it has been useful to you or your Newport friend.
For me I have learnt more about 18th century England in 8 months than in the past 60 years. I think there may be a book in any one of the chapters.
Tim hi, I am descended from Lavinia New port who came with her parents and 2 siblings on the Sir Charles Forbes. I notice you have her mother as Leah Saunders, in actual fact she was born Leah Sandhurst in 1803 in Great Hampden Buckinghamshire.
Lavinia married Samuel Austin a well known Whanganui Soldier and settler and my great grandfather was their second son Walter James Austin.
Lavinia died at age 40 and is buried with her infant son Samuel in the Old Cemetery in Whanganui and I have discovered its an unmarked grave so am arranging a simple cross to be erected in the next wee while.
Thanks for your work on the family tree
Garry
Hi Garry
Thanks so much for your comments. I have been aware of conflict between Sandhurst/Sanders/Saunders and would love to lay this one to rest.
I’ve sent you a personal email, but would also welcome input from any reader that is able to help source Leah’s maiden name at birth so that i can correct the record.
Hi Tim
Sallie directed me to your site too.
I am descended from Jospeh Newport & Mary Chilton. Their daughter Sarah born 1846 in Nelson is my Great Grandmother. She married Playford Chapman-Stone.
My Mum’s brother Bill Chapman-Stone did a lot of research and I have most of his documentation. I scanned all his folders after he died but haven’t really looked into it all. I haven’t done much research on the family but am interested in anything I can find. I know he had lots of hypotheses and was working to find out answers about Samuel.
Jeanette