William Clarke | |
|---|---|
| Born | abt. April 1609 England |
| Died | aft. 1 June 1671 Leicestershire, England |
| Occupation | Apothecary |
| Spouse(s) | Martha (last name unknown) (1st); Katherine Babington Storer (2nd) |
William Clarke (c. April 1609 – 1671) was anapothecary who provided lodgings for a youngIsaac Newton whilst he attended theKing's School in Grantham.
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 Martha (last name is unknown) who bore him three children - Joseph, William and Anne. His second marriage was toKatherine Babington, widow, who was from the same line asAnthony Babington. Katherine had three children from a previous marriage to Edward Storer, including daughter Katherine as well as sons Edward andArthur Storer. 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 toLoughborough inLeicestershire, leaving his business to his son, William.[1]
During theEnglish Civil War, William sided with theparliamentarians. The town of Grantham was captured by Royalists on 23 March 1643[2] and on 11 April he was indicted for high treason. On 11 May 1643, however the town was recaptured byOliver Cromwell[2] and Clarke was released. Following the war William attained wealth and landholdings, but lost much of his fortune following therestoration.
In 1654, William provided boarding toIsaac Newton as he would be attending the King's School with Edward and Arthur Storer. Newton's mother remained inWoolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, 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 (later Mrs. Vincent).