John Newdegate, MP, of Harefield

John Newdegate (1514-65), of Harefield, Mdx. John, son of John, represented Middlesex in parliament in 1553–4, 1557–8 (Returns of Members of Parliament). He married, first, in 1540, Mary, daughter of Sir R. Cheney, knt., of Chesham Boys; secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Lovet, of Astwell, and widow of Anthony Cave. By his first wife he had an only son.

brief biography

• from NEWDIGATE, John (1514-65), of Harefield, Mdx.

When his father died Newdigate filled the vacancy on the Middlesex bench; from then on he was named to a variety of commissions in the county, and after the accession of Elizabeth he was authorized to survey the possessions of the bishopric of London and to raise funds for the rebuilding of St. Paul’s. Other members of the family were more deeply involved in the upheavals of the age: his uncle Sebastian, a monk at the Charterhouse, was executed at Tyburn in 1535, and his brother Francis, who served the Protector Somerset, came near to sharing Somerset’s fate but survived to marry his widow. As a knight of the shire for Middlesex in four Parliaments between 1547 and 1558 John Newdigate saw many changes but was not, so it appears, much affected by them; nor did he make, on the evidence of the Journal, any impact on the House, the only piece of information about his Membership being the marking of his name with a circle on the list of Members of the Parliament of 1558 as revised for its second session. Judged by the bishop of London to be a ‘favourer’ of religion in 1564, he died at his home at Harefield on 16 Aug. 1565. The administration of his goods was granted on 4 July 1566 to his son John, with the consent of his widow who took as her third husband Richard Weston.5

family

b. 9 Oct. 1514, 3rd but 1st surv. s. of John Newdigate of Harefield by Anne, da. and h. of Nicholas Hilton of Cambridge; bro. of Francis†, Nicholas and Robert†. educ. L. Inn, adm. 7 Aug. 1538, called 1548. m. (1) settlement 4 Feb. 1541, Mary, da. of Sir Robert Cheney of Chesham Bois, Bucks,. 2s. inc. John† ida.; (2) 19 Nov. 1559, Elizabeth, da. of Thomas Lovett of Astwell, Northants., wid. of Anthony Cave of Chicheley, Bucks., 1s. suc. fa. 19 June 1545.2