Grantham is a market town in the English county of Lincolnshire. Its most famous son is Sir Isaac Newton, one of the foremost scientists on world history. A statue of the great man stands proud and erect in the town centre, with the name "Newton" chiselled boldly below. That name has haunted me from birth, seems to have governed my life, and will, i believe, be with me until the day i die. All i relate now is true. There are many streets in Grantham, but i was born on Newton street. Every school day until i was 12, i passed Newton's statue on my way to and from school. From the moment i set eyes on that marble figure i experienced the strangest reaction. A chill would come over to me and the hair on the back of my neck would stand up. I'd feel compelled to stare into the eyes of the statue, and i'd feel the name Newton burning into my brain. It honestly felt as if Newton was drawing me into the statue's stone.
As a small boy, i became frightened by this almost daily experience and confided in my parents. They suggested that i take a different route to school and avoid the statue altogether. This was sensible advice, but nonetheless i found it difficult to follow. My fascination with the statue occupied my thoughts even when i was nowhere near it.
As my 12th birthday approached, i was informed that i had passed the grammar school entry exams. I was sent off to The King's School, which Isaac Newton attended, and on my first day there was duly assigned to on of the six sporting houses. Mine, of course, was Newton House.
About a year later, as part of school project, about 60 of us in my year were divided into small groups and sent to local government and council offices for the day, to see how the system worked. It was pot luck where anyone was sent. Four of us were dispatched to the town museum, where each of us were given a section to clean and rearrange for display. Mine was the section devoted to, sure enough, "The Life and Works of Isaac Newton."
At 14, I was unexpectedly made a last-minute replacement in the school first XI during a cricket match. A team member had suddenly become ill and i was the nearest boy who had his kit handy. I went in to bat, smiledat the 17- and 18-year-olds who surrounded me, and slashed away every ball.
My eye was in and luck was with me. Together with my partner, we established a new school record for a last-wicket stand. My proud partner, Titch, so called because of his size, had the last name Newton.
At the age of 18, I was called up for national service in the Royal Air Force (RAF). After basic and trade training, I was given my permanent posting. There were hundreds of RAF stations in Britain and around the world, and i could have been sent to any one of them. I was sent to RAF Newton.
After national service, I joined the Nottingham Police Force. It was up to the police administration to find suitable lodgings for its young single officers.Nottingham is a big city with a vast network of streets. But i was sent to an address on Newton Street.
In January 1958, I went to the palais de Dance in Nottingham, a place of sumptuous decor and, at that time, the most popular of the city's dance halls. Among the many women there, one beauty especially enchanted me and, at the earliest opportunity, I asked her to dance. To my delight, she accepted and we exchanged first names.
Later, after a few dances, we paused for coffee and, to pass the time, I told Jean the story of how Newton had been a constant companion all my life. Jean looked incresingly amused - I was delighted that she found me so entertaining."You won't believe this," she said when I'd had finished, "but my full name is Jean Newton."She gazed at me with delight as i felt the hair on my neck prickle again. It seems incredible, but a voice from somewhere, very clear, was telling me i was looking at my future wife.
A few weeks later, upon meeting Jean's mother, I was informed that Jean's great-grandfather had been born and raised in the tiny village of Woodsthorpe, just outside Grantham. So had Isaac Newton. In Fact, his manor house is still there. I later contacted the caretaker at the church closest to Woolsthorpe, who made enquires through the parish records on my behalf. Jean's family, as it transpired, was almost certainly of Sit Isaac Newton's line
Jean and I have been married for 49 years now, but i still wonder about the strange force, generated by Sir Isaac's image, that took control of my life from an early age. Could the scientist have selected me to marry one of his descendants? After all, Sir Isaac Newton was one of the greatest minds that ever lived, capable of understanding the forces that govern the universe and also able to prove them scientifically. Who can imagine what other universal secrets he unearthed in his lifetime? Was my life just a string of coincidences?
We'll never know...
As a small boy, i became frightened by this almost daily experience and confided in my parents. They suggested that i take a different route to school and avoid the statue altogether. This was sensible advice, but nonetheless i found it difficult to follow. My fascination with the statue occupied my thoughts even when i was nowhere near it.
As my 12th birthday approached, i was informed that i had passed the grammar school entry exams. I was sent off to The King's School, which Isaac Newton attended, and on my first day there was duly assigned to on of the six sporting houses. Mine, of course, was Newton House.
About a year later, as part of school project, about 60 of us in my year were divided into small groups and sent to local government and council offices for the day, to see how the system worked. It was pot luck where anyone was sent. Four of us were dispatched to the town museum, where each of us were given a section to clean and rearrange for display. Mine was the section devoted to, sure enough, "The Life and Works of Isaac Newton."
At 14, I was unexpectedly made a last-minute replacement in the school first XI during a cricket match. A team member had suddenly become ill and i was the nearest boy who had his kit handy. I went in to bat, smiledat the 17- and 18-year-olds who surrounded me, and slashed away every ball.
My eye was in and luck was with me. Together with my partner, we established a new school record for a last-wicket stand. My proud partner, Titch, so called because of his size, had the last name Newton.
At the age of 18, I was called up for national service in the Royal Air Force (RAF). After basic and trade training, I was given my permanent posting. There were hundreds of RAF stations in Britain and around the world, and i could have been sent to any one of them. I was sent to RAF Newton.
After national service, I joined the Nottingham Police Force. It was up to the police administration to find suitable lodgings for its young single officers.Nottingham is a big city with a vast network of streets. But i was sent to an address on Newton Street.
In January 1958, I went to the palais de Dance in Nottingham, a place of sumptuous decor and, at that time, the most popular of the city's dance halls. Among the many women there, one beauty especially enchanted me and, at the earliest opportunity, I asked her to dance. To my delight, she accepted and we exchanged first names.
Later, after a few dances, we paused for coffee and, to pass the time, I told Jean the story of how Newton had been a constant companion all my life. Jean looked incresingly amused - I was delighted that she found me so entertaining."You won't believe this," she said when I'd had finished, "but my full name is Jean Newton."She gazed at me with delight as i felt the hair on my neck prickle again. It seems incredible, but a voice from somewhere, very clear, was telling me i was looking at my future wife.
A few weeks later, upon meeting Jean's mother, I was informed that Jean's great-grandfather had been born and raised in the tiny village of Woodsthorpe, just outside Grantham. So had Isaac Newton. In Fact, his manor house is still there. I later contacted the caretaker at the church closest to Woolsthorpe, who made enquires through the parish records on my behalf. Jean's family, as it transpired, was almost certainly of Sit Isaac Newton's line
Jean and I have been married for 49 years now, but i still wonder about the strange force, generated by Sir Isaac's image, that took control of my life from an early age. Could the scientist have selected me to marry one of his descendants? After all, Sir Isaac Newton was one of the greatest minds that ever lived, capable of understanding the forces that govern the universe and also able to prove them scientifically. Who can imagine what other universal secrets he unearthed in his lifetime? Was my life just a string of coincidences?
We'll never know...
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