John Conduitt 1638-1737

John CONDUITT 1688-1737

Conduitt's bookplate (Sion College Provenance Project)

Biographical Note

Born in London, son of Leonard Conduitt. Matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge 1705, but did not graduate; he travelled in Europe, and spent time in the 1710s as a captain of dragoons in Portugal. In 1717 he married Catherine Barton, niece of Sir Isaac Newton. He became Newton's unofficial deputy in his post as Master of the Mint, and succeeded to that job after Newton's death in 1727. He bought an estate at Cranbury Park, Hampshire in 1720 and was MP for Whitchurch 1721-35, and for Southampton 1735-37. His Observations on the present state of our gold and silver coins, written in 1730, was published in 1774. He collected material for a biography of Newton, but this was never completed.

Books

Conduitt used an engraved armorial bookplate (Franks 6604). He was a signatory to the inventory of Newton's estate (including the summary of his library), but seems to have acquired only a few Newton books himself, though he did own some of his manuscript material. A series of manuscript transcripts of the Journal of the House of Commons which belonged to Conduit was included in the February 1749 auction of John Wallop, Viscount Lymington, who had married Conduitt's daughter.

Sources

• Alston, R. C., Inventory of sale catalogues ... 1676-1800, St Philip, 2010.
• Carter, Philip. "Conduitt, John (1688–1737), politician." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
• A catalogue of the valuable library of books and manuscripts of ... Lord Lymington, London, 1749, ESTC t187522.
• Gambier Howe, E. R. J. Franks bequest: catalogue of British and American book plates bequeathed to the ... British Museum. London, 1903.
• Harrison, J., The library of Isaac Newton, Cambridge, 1978.
• Bookplate of John Conduitt, Sion College Provenance Project.