Sgt. Isaac Newton of the Grenadier Guards

Regt. No 6489


My great-great-grandfather, Isaac Newton, was born around 1830/31 at Shenley, near Barnet in Hertfordshire.

The Hertfordshire IGI for Chipping Barnet records two baptisms - one on 8th August 1830 and another on 13th November 1831. Both baptisms state the same parents ; James Newton and Jane (possibly nee Hoar). Although a death record has not been found for the first Isaac, it is presumed likely that the two children are of the same parents and the first child died. Nevertheless, all reported ages suggest that 'my' Isaac was the first-born !

Isaac was a labourer, but at the age of "21 years and 6 months", he enlisted as a Private in the Grenadier Guards (a.k.a Foot Guards) at the Wellington Barracks in London on the 27th March 1853. He is recorded in the military documents as being 5ft 9ins tall with brown hair, a fresh complexion and grey (!) eyes.

On the 10th May 1854, he was gained his first promotion, to Corporal. However the records show that Isaac was ‘absent’ on the 16th/17th January 1856 and he was ‘confined’ on the 18th January. After being tried the following day, he was sentenced to be reduced in rank to Private.

Isaac must have learned his lesson as eventually, on the 13th May 1858, he regained his Corporal’s stripes, and in the June that year received a ‘Good Conduct’ payment.

Two years later, on the 27th May 1860, he was promoted again to Sergeant.

There are no papers that suggest Isaac served anywhere other than in the south of England for the first few years, but in May 1863 Isaac was re-engaged at Chester “for 11 years”.

He had only been in Chester for a few months when, at the reported age of 29yrs, he married Jane Wardle, the 22yr old daughter of James Wardle, an Innkeeper. They married on the 15th September 1863 just outside Chester, in Christleton. There is no record of Jane in the IGI for this period, with James as the father.

In 1864, a son, Isaac, was born but died soon after.

On 21st April in 1865, their daughter Alice Jane Newton was born at 1 Hall’s Entry, Shoemaker’s Row in Chester.

When Alice Jane was less than two years old, her mother Jane died. Her death certificate states that she was ‘the wife of Isaac Newton, Sergeant with the Grenadiers’. She died on 24th March 1867 at 2 Hall’s Entry, Northgate, Chester, from  “Anoemia Imontu” (according to the certificate).

This definition cannot be traced, but recent research finds that Jane was buried in the same graveyard (St Oswald's Backford, near Chester) on the same date as an infant George Newton, so it is likely that Jane died in childbirth, along with the baby.

Three years passed and  Isaac was granted absence of leave to marry on 25th October 1870 when he married Sarah Ann Lee the daughter of James Lee a bailiff. They married in Chester.

Isaac’s military papers show that he transferred to the 2nd Stafford Militia on the 27th May 1872 and was discharged on the 16th June 1874.

This was not the end of Isaac's military career, as the 1881 census finds Isaac, aged 49yrs, Ann, and Alice Jane, in Everton, Liverpool. Isaac’s occupation is quoted as “Drill Sergt Instr 15th L R V Volunteer”. It is understood that ‘LRV’ is likely to stand for “Liverpool Rifle Volunteer”.

By 1891 Isaac and (Sarah) Ann had moved to Kempston in Bedford and is listed in the census as an "Army Pensioner". Their house was named "Roxton Villa" - presumably after Anne's place of birth. 

In 1893 Anne died at the age of 63.

In 1901 Isaac was still in the same street as 1891 living with wife "Alice" but no marriage record has yet been found to support this event.

In 1909 Issac passed away, aged 78.



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Page updated: 9th March 2008