Catherine Barton
Encyclopedia
Catherine Barton was Isaac Newton
's half-niece, probable mistress of Charles Montague
and later, the wife of John Conduitt
.
, and baptized at Brigstock, Northampton on 25 Nov 1679.
She was remarked upon by several men to be beautiful, witty and clever. Sometime after her uncle Isaac moved to London to become Warden of the Mint in April 1696 she moved there to live with him. She was known as a brilliant conversationalist, and attracted the admiration of such famous figures as Jonathan Swift
and Voltaire
. Her uncle Isaac was also fond of her; an excerpt of an uncharacteristically warm letter from Newton survives, regarding her contraction of smallpox
: "Pray let me know by your next how your face is and if your fevour [sic] be going. Perhaps warm milk from ye Cow may help to abate it. I am Your loving Unkle (sic), Is. Newton."
Voltaire insinuated that Newton's preferment to the Royal Mint was the result of her alleged affair with Charles Montague. However, although it is true that Isaac was appointed under the patronage of Charles Montague, it is clear that Catherine Barton came up to London and met Montague after the appointment, not before.
Montague, by then Earl of Halifax, died of an inflammation of the lungs in May, 1715.
His will contained two codicils
: the first dated 12 April 1706, left the sum of £3000 and all his jewels to Barton; a second dated 1 February 1713 left her an additional £5000 plus his interest in the rangership of Bushey Park and his manor of Apscourt in Surrey to pay for the repairs to Bushey Lodge. On 30 August, however, he revokes the first codicil and begs his executor, his nephew George Montague, not to make a dispute over her legacies. Montague wrote that these bequests were "as a token of the sincere love, affection and esteem, I have long had for her person, and as a small recompense for the pleasure and happiness I have had in her conversation."
who had only set foot in England a few weeks earlier in May of that year. On 23 August they were issued a licence to marry at St Paul's Covent Garden, but actually married three days later at St Martin in the Fields. The couple had one daughter, Catherine, born in 1721.
, near Winchester
; towards the end of his life, Sir Isaac Newton took up residence at Cranbury with his niece and her husband until his death in 1727.
Her husband John Conduitt died on 23 May 1737; she died in 1739 and was buried with her uncle and husband in Westminster Abbey. Their only daughter and heir Catherine married John Wallop, Viscount Lymington, the eldest son of the first Earl of Portsmouth
, and their son, John Wallop, succeeded as second Earl of Portsmouth.
's novel The System of the World
, the final installment in Stephenson's Baroque Cycle.
She also has a role in Philip Kerr
's novel Dark Matter: The Private Life of Sir Isaac Newton.
. Newton: his friend, and his niece. 1st ed (reprinted). London: Dawsons, 1968. 161 pp. 0712903305.
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
's half-niece, probable mistress of Charles Montague
Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax
Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, KG, PC, FRS was an English poet and statesman.-Early life:Charles Montagu was born in Horton, Northamptonshire, the son of George Montagu, fifth son of 1st Earl of Manchester...
and later, the wife of John Conduitt
John Conduitt
John Conduitt was a British Member of Parliament and Master of the Mint.-Early life, education and family:Conduitt was the son of Leonard and Sarah Conduitt, and was baptized at St Paul's, Covent Garden, London, on 8 March 1688. He was admitted to St Peter's College Westminster School as a King's...
.
Early life
She was the second daughter of Robert Barton and his second wife, Hannah Smith, half-niece of Isaac NewtonIsaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
, and baptized at Brigstock, Northampton on 25 Nov 1679.
She was remarked upon by several men to be beautiful, witty and clever. Sometime after her uncle Isaac moved to London to become Warden of the Mint in April 1696 she moved there to live with him. She was known as a brilliant conversationalist, and attracted the admiration of such famous figures as Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
and Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
. Her uncle Isaac was also fond of her; an excerpt of an uncharacteristically warm letter from Newton survives, regarding her contraction of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
: "Pray let me know by your next how your face is and if your fevour [sic] be going. Perhaps warm milk from ye Cow may help to abate it. I am Your loving Unkle (sic), Is. Newton."
Voltaire insinuated that Newton's preferment to the Royal Mint was the result of her alleged affair with Charles Montague. However, although it is true that Isaac was appointed under the patronage of Charles Montague, it is clear that Catherine Barton came up to London and met Montague after the appointment, not before.
Relationship to Charles Montague
Following the death of Charles Montague's wife in 1698, Barton became his housekeeper and probably his mistress. There was much contemporary gossip on the subject, and thinly disguised accusations appeared in print. Delariviere Manley's Memoirs of 1710 featured a character called Bartica who was widely taken to represent Barton.Montague, by then Earl of Halifax, died of an inflammation of the lungs in May, 1715.
His will contained two codicils
Codicil (will)
A codicil is a document that amends, rather than replaces, a previously executed will. Amendments made by a codicil may add or revoke small provisions , or may completely change the majority, or all, of the gifts under the will...
: the first dated 12 April 1706, left the sum of £3000 and all his jewels to Barton; a second dated 1 February 1713 left her an additional £5000 plus his interest in the rangership of Bushey Park and his manor of Apscourt in Surrey to pay for the repairs to Bushey Lodge. On 30 August, however, he revokes the first codicil and begs his executor, his nephew George Montague, not to make a dispute over her legacies. Montague wrote that these bequests were "as a token of the sincere love, affection and esteem, I have long had for her person, and as a small recompense for the pleasure and happiness I have had in her conversation."
Marriage
Barton then returned to live with her uncle at his home in St Martin's Street. On 9 July 1717 she became engaged to marry John ConduittJohn Conduitt
John Conduitt was a British Member of Parliament and Master of the Mint.-Early life, education and family:Conduitt was the son of Leonard and Sarah Conduitt, and was baptized at St Paul's, Covent Garden, London, on 8 March 1688. He was admitted to St Peter's College Westminster School as a King's...
who had only set foot in England a few weeks earlier in May of that year. On 23 August they were issued a licence to marry at St Paul's Covent Garden, but actually married three days later at St Martin in the Fields. The couple had one daughter, Catherine, born in 1721.
Later life
The couple lived at Cranbury ParkCranbury Park
Cranbury Park is a stately home and country estate situated in the parish of Hursley, near Winchester, England. It was formerly the home to Sir Isaac Newton and later to the Chamberlayne family, whose descendants now own and occupy the house and surrounding park and farmland...
, near Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
; towards the end of his life, Sir Isaac Newton took up residence at Cranbury with his niece and her husband until his death in 1727.
Her husband John Conduitt died on 23 May 1737; she died in 1739 and was buried with her uncle and husband in Westminster Abbey. Their only daughter and heir Catherine married John Wallop, Viscount Lymington, the eldest son of the first Earl of Portsmouth
Earl of Portsmouth
Earl of Portsmouth is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1743 for John Wallop, 1st Viscount Lymington, who had previously represented Hampshire in the House of Commons. He had already been created Baron Wallop, of Farleigh Wallop in Hampshire in the County of Southampton,...
, and their son, John Wallop, succeeded as second Earl of Portsmouth.
In fiction
A fictional Barton has a small role in Neal StephensonNeal Stephenson
Neal Town Stephenson is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction.Difficult to categorize, his novels have been variously referred to as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and postcyberpunk...
's novel The System of the World
The System of the World (novel)
The System of the World, a novel by Neal Stephenson, is the third and final volume in The Baroque Cycle.The title alludes to the third volume of Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which bears the same name....
, the final installment in Stephenson's Baroque Cycle.
She also has a role in Philip Kerr
Philip Kerr
Philip Kerr is a British author of both adult fiction and non-fiction, most notably the Bernie Gunther series of thrillers, and of children's books, particularly the Children of the Lamp series....
's novel Dark Matter: The Private Life of Sir Isaac Newton.
Further reading
Augustus De Morgan, Sophia Elizabeth De Morgan, Arthur Cowper RanyardArthur Cowper Ranyard
-Life:Born at Swanscombe, Kent, he was son of Benjamin Ranyard by his wife Ellen Henrietta Ranyard . Ranyard attended University College School, London, from 1857 to 1860, afterwards proceeding to University College...
. Newton: his friend, and his niece. 1st ed (reprinted). London: Dawsons, 1968. 161 pp. 0712903305.