the two men are often mistaken the one for the other in consequence of their having worked together.
Desaguliers refers to Newcomen as having been the joint inventor, with himself and others, of a ‘jack-in-the-box,’ an apparatus to permit the escape of air from water-pipes (Phil. Trans. 1726, xxxiv. 82). Joseph Hornblower is there referred to as being Newcomen's ‘operator.’ Hornblower was employed by Newcomen to superintend the erection of his engines. He eventually settled in Cornwall, where his descendants became Boulton & Watt's rivals in that county.
[Authorities cited; Worthy's Devonshire Parishes, 1887, i. 370; Boase and Courtney's Bibliotheca Cornub.]
NEWCOURT, RICHARD, the elder (d. 1679), topographical draughtsman, was second son, by Mary Tucker, his wife, of Philip Newcourt of Tiverton, Devonshire. His father was third son of John Newcourt of Pickwell, in the same county, by Mary, daughter of Thomas Parker of North Molton, and widow of George Hext. Newcourt was baptised at Washfield, near Tiverton. On 23 Sept. 1633 he was granted admonition of the will of Sir Edward Hext, his father's half-brother, and on 16 May 1657 he received permission to act in a like capacity for Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Edward Hext and widow of Sir John Stawell of Cothelstone, Somerset. He became possessed of an estate at Somerton, Somerset, where he resided. Newcourt was a friend of Sir William Dugdale [q. v.], and drew some views of religious houses, which were engraved by Hollar for Dugdale's ‘Monasticon Anglicanum.’ Subsequently he undertook a very important work, entitled ‘An Exact Delineation of the Cities of London and Westminster and the Suburbs thereof, Together wth ye Burrough of Southwark And all ye Thorough-fares Highwaies Streetes Lanes and Common Allies wthin ye same Composed by a Scale, and Ichnographically described by Richard Newcourt of Somerton in the Countie of Somersett Gentleman.’ This is the most important map of London executed before the great fire. It was engraved by William Faithorne the elder [q. v.], published in 1658, and is so rare that only two examples of the original are at present known to exist. Newcourt died in 1679, and was buried with his wife at Somerton. In his will (89 King), dated 25 March 1675, and proved on 4 July 1679, he mentions his eldest son, Richard [q. v.]; his second son, Gerard, who succeeded him at Somerton; and his daughter, Mary, wife of Thomas Spicer of Somerton.
[Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Fagan's Cat. of Faithorne's Works; Brown's Somersetshire Wills, 2nd and 3rd ser.]
NEWCOURT, RICHARD (d. 1716), author of ‘Repertorium Ecclesiasticum,’ was son of Richard Newcourt the elder [q. v.] He matriculated at Oxford as a servitor of Wadham College on 9 Dec. 1653, but did not graduate (Foster, Alumni Oxon. 1500–1714, iii. 1060). He became a notary public and proctor-general of the court of arches, and from August 1669 until May 1696 was principal registrary of the diocese of London. A few years before his death he retired to East Greenwich, where he was buried on 26 Feb. 1715–16, having survived his wife Mary only a few days. By his will (54 Fox), proved on 6 March 1715–16, he left his property to his sister, Mary Spicer. Hearne (Notes and Collections, Oxford Hist. Soc., ii. 265) calls him ‘Thomas’ Newcourt, and adds that he was ‘a nonjuror and a man of true integrity.’
Newcourt compiled from the records in his keeping an invaluable work, entitled ‘Repertorium Ecclesiasticum Parochiale Londinense; an Ecclesiastical Parochial History of the Diocese of London,’ 2 vols. fol. London, 1708–10, to which is prefixed his portrait engraved by J. Sturt, presumably after the painting in possession of Lord Coleraine. A copy of this book, with corrections and additions by William Cole (1714–1782) [q. v.], is in the Guildhall Library, London. In Tanner MS. cxlii. 176, 179, 191, is Newcourt's ‘Report to the Commissioners appointed by the Bishop of London to visit the registries of the Consistory and Commissary,’ 1669, together with a letter from Thomas Povey on the subject, dated 26 May 1669.
[Gardiner's Registers of Wadham College, pt. i. p. 201; Newcourt's Preface to ‘Repertorium;’ Noble's Continuation of Granger's Biog. Hist. i. 267–8.]
NEWDEGATE, CHARLES NEWDIGATE (1816–1887), politician, born 14 July 1816, was only son of Charles Newdigate Newdegate of Harefield Place, Middlesex, who died 23 April 1833, by Maria, daughter of Ayscoghe Boucherett [see under Newdigate, Sir Roger]. He was educated at Eton from 1829 to 1834, and on 15 May in that year matriculated from Christ Church, Oxford, graduating B.A. 1849, M.A. 1859, and was created D.C.L. 9 June 1863. On 10 March 1843, at a by-election, he became member for North Warwickshire in the conservative interest; was returned at the head of the poll on eight succeeding elections, and sat till his retirement, through failing health,
