Abram Newman

Abram (also known as Abraham) Newman, (1735 - 1799), of Mount Bures in Essex, was a wealthy grocer in London, and landowner in Mount Bures.

Abram was the son of Anne, daughter of Hugh Constable of Bures St Mary and Thomas Newman, son of Thomas Newman of Mount Hall in the same parish.

Abram's older brother Thomas, was born 1733, and died in 1756 at the early age of 23.

Abram Newman, was partner in one of the leading grocers in 18th century London that imported a wide range of produce including tea, coffee, sugar and spices. He was a cousin to landscape painter John Constable, RA

On 12 June 1759, Abram married Mary Davison (1720–1783), sister of Monkhouse Davison. At the age of 28, in 1764, he joined Monkhouse, (who at this time was 51) and became a partner in the business. Five years later, the senior partner, Sir Thomas Rawlinson died and the company became known as it is today, as Davison Newman and Co.

Abram and his wife Mary had two daughters who survived their father, Ann and Jane. (History of the Newmans at Mount Bures).

Obituary: 8th March At his house in Fenchurch street, Abraham Newman esq. He was one of the richest citizens of London and a happy instance of the wonderful powers of accumulation by the steady pursuit of honourable industry.

Annual Register, Volume 41, 1799 edited by Edmund Burke, p57 (pages 58 and 59 missing).

Descendants

Abram had no male descendants.

Sources

1. Abraham Newman of Mount Bures: From Farmer's Son to Lord of the Manor Ida McMaster (1969) (attached in documents).
2. Genealogy data - including Constable and Newman family trees.
3. Wikipedia - Abram Newman
4. Abram Newman
5. Monkhouse Davison
6. History on the Newman family
7. Mount Bures parish

References

1. Church Registers of St John, Mount Bures. ERO Chelmsford D/P 281.1.1 (1756)

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Research

Legacies of British Slave-ownership

Owen Rutter, At the Three Sugar Loaves and Crown. A brief history of the firm of Messrs. Davison, Newman & Company now incorporated with the West India Produce Association Limited (London, Davison, Newman & Co., 1938).

Your Ancestor – Slave or Slave owner?

Researching Poll books discovers how the Constabe family voted

St Olavs's church, Hart Street - inscriptions and heraldry for Abram, Mary and Monkhouse Davison

Relationship to artist John Constable

Abram is referred to as the first cousin of John Constable. In this Newman Family tree you can see the relationship. However Geni shows that this tree contains an error:

Abram (1735 - 1799) is the son of Ann (1711 - 1776) and Thomas Newman

Abram's mother, Ann is the daughter of Hugh Constable (1667 - 1715) and Ann (Taylor) (1675 -1740)

Ann Newman's father, Hugh, died aged 48 years, when Ann was three and her mother was 40. The couple have six recorded children, including a baby named Ann who died young.

1. Hugh Constable;
2. Abraham Constable;
3. John Constable;
4. Ann Constable;
5. Ann Newman; and
6. Daniel Constable

« John Constable was born in 1776 - 41 years later than Abram.
« His father, Golding was born in 1738 and died 1816 (aged 78 years) and his mother was Ann Watts.
« Golding is recorded as being the son of John Constable (1705 - 1777), (not Hugh) and Judith Garrad.
« John Constable, the artist's grandfather, is the son of Hugh and the brother of Ann Newman.

The error in the attached family tree places Golding as Hugh's son and Ann's brother. However this is not possible. Golding as born in 1738 (three years after Abram), when Ann would have been 26 and Hugh had been dead for 23 years. Therefore Hugh could not have been Golding's father. Abram Newman and John Constable are close cousins, but not the same generation. John is Abrams first cousin once removed.