William Clarke (''c.'' April 1609 – 1682) was an

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Amer ...

who provided lodgings for a young

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

whilst he attended the King's School in Grantham.

Biography

William was baptised on 23 April 1609. According to his will, he had a brother Joseph, but little else is known about his early life. William Clarke was married twice, first to an unknown woman who bore him two children - Joseph and William. His second marriage was to Katherine Babington, widow, who was from the same line as

Anthony Babington Anthony Babington (24 October 156120 September 1586) was an English gentleman convicted of plotting the assassination of Elizabeth I of England and conspiring with the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, for which he was hanged, drawn and quartere ...

. Katherine had several children from a previous marriage to Edward Storer, including daughters Katherine and Anne as well as sons Edward and

Arthur Storer Arthur Storer (1645–1687) was America's first colonial astronomer. He came to Calvert County, Maryland, from Lincolnshire, England. He was among the first observers to sight and record data about a magnificent comet that passed over Patux ...

. Together, Katherine and William had two more children named John and Martha. All of his sons except John followed him into the trade of apothecary. Clarke eventually retired to

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second large ...

in Leicestershire, leaving his business to his son, William. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, William sided with the parliamentarians. The town of Grantham was captured by Royalists on 23 March 1643 and on 11 April he was indicted for high treason. On 11 May 1643, however the town was recaptured by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

and Clarke was released. Following the war William attained wealth and landholdings, but lost much of his fortune following the

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

Association with Isaac Newton

In 1654, William provided boarding to

as he would be attending the King's School with Edward and Arthur Storer. Newton's mother remained in

Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth (to distinguish it from Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir in the same county) is a hamlet in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is best known as the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton. Woolsthorpe-by-Colster ...

, which was about eight miles away from the Clarke residence. Many of Newton's biographers have noted that it was the lessons learned from Clarke that sparked Newton's interest in chemistry. According to the Clarke's grandson, Ralph Clarke, also an apothecary in Grantham, Newton left signs of his presence in the garret where he slept in the apothecary's house on Grantham's High Street: he carved his name into the boards, and drew charcoal drawings of birds and beasts, men and ships, and abstract shapes on the walls. Newton was said to have had 'a passion' for Clarke's step-daughter,

Katherine Storer William Clarke (''c.'' April 1609 – 1682) was an apothecary who provided lodgings for a young Isaac Newton whilst he attended the King's School in Grantham. Biography William was baptised on 23 April 1609. According to his will, he had a brot ...

(later Mrs. Vincent).

Sources

* E. T. Bell, ''Men of Mathematics'' (1937, Simon and Schuster) * H. Eves, ''An Introduction to the History of Mathematics'' (1976). * V. Horry, ''The Clark Family History''. (2002) * J. D. Trabue, "Ann and Arthur Storer of Calvert County, Maryland, Friends of Sir Isaac Newton, With the Descendants of Clarke Skinner of Calvert County" (2004).

References

External links

Isaac Newton, the early years

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, William 1609 births 1682 deaths People from Grantham Roundheads Isaac Newton