Gabriel Newton was a leading figure of Leicester

Leicester

Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

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Born in Leicester, he was made a councillor

Councillor

A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...

 in 1710, an alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 in 1726 and mayor of Leicester in 1732. He was a wool-comber by trade, and later became landlord of the Horse and Trumpet Inn. He was married thrice, each a woman of considerable wealth, and thus he himself became wealthy. After the death of his only son he had no descendants, so he left his fortune to aid the education of the poor, establishing a charity school in Leicester at Church of St Mary de Castro which was opened in 1785 after legal problems with his will.

He is one of the four men portrayed on Leicester's Clock Tower

Clock Tower (Leicester)

The Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower is a major landmark and popular meeting point in Leicester, United Kingdom. It is located roughly in the middle of the area inside the ring-road, and is at the point where five major streets meet, and also close by to the junction with Cheapside.The Clock Tower...

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External links

• http://www.leicester.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=33201

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