Archaeologists have discovered a number of artefacts at the site, including cutlery and thimbles, which may have belonged to Isaac Newton's mother, Hannah Ayscough.
National TrustThis sketch by J. C. Barrow from 1797 shows the house of Isaac Newton's mother near Woolsthorpe Manor, and a grove of trees.
Indeed, excavations at the site have uncovered debris from the house after it was demolished, as well as a number of items that may have been used by Newton's mother, Hannah Ayscough, centuries ago. The artefacts included tableware, pottery, a fragment of a 17th-century jug depicting the face of a bearded man, a 17th-century token used as a gambling token, thimbles, part of a needle, buttons, and animal bones from butchering and cooking.
“These finds are incredibly authentic and provide a window into the domestic life of the Newton family,” said Rosalind Buck, an archaeologist at the National Trust, in a press release. “We can imagine Hannah and her family eating from items like the Staffordshire ware, or using jugs like the one with this magnificent relief carving. Perhaps people were playing with tokens while household chores like sewing and mending were carried out nearby?”
Public DomainSir Isaac Newton was a 17th-century inventor who revolutionized physics and mathematics.
Although Newton continued to live at Woolsthorpe with her grandparents, Ayscough moved into a house built for her on the estate nearby. The house presumably stood until the early 19th century, when it was destroyed by fire.
Meanwhile, Woolsthorpe played a defining role in Newton’s life. When the plague closed Cambridge University in 1665, he returned to the estate and spent the next 18 months developing theories that laid the foundations of modern scientific thought. During this time, Newton, then in his early 20s, described the mathematical theory of calculus, worked on the laws of motion and gravity, and discovered that light is made up of many colours.
So the discovery of the place where Isaac Newton’s mother lived is a small but important sign that connects us to the famous inventor himself. Situated next to the tree from which Newton watched the apple fall and pondered the force of gravity, this modest monument reflects the human side of Newton’s story.
After reading about the discovery of Isaac Newton's mother's house in England, delve into the stories of some of the smartest people in world history. Or learn about some of the world's craziest scientists.
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