![]() ![]() ![]() However, 60 years before, in 1582, most of Europe had adopted the newly devised Gregorian calendar to align the dating system accurately with the annual 365¼ days and 11½ minutes days it takes for the earth to orbit around the sun and so determine the correct date for Easter. The reason for this was that at this time, England still used the Julian calendar. England was out of step with the rest of Europe as regards calendar dates and people often wrote down the two variations for days between 1 st January and 24 th March, since England began the New Year on 25 th March, not on 1 st January as in Europe. So, why do biographies introduce a different birth date for Isaac Newton, that of 4 th January 1643? There is a clue in the double date Sir Isaac gave for his baptism, being 1 st January 1642 / 3. The chart above is part of Sir Isaac Newton’s pedigree copied from 2.D.14 at The College of Arms, published in Edmund Turnor, Collections for the History of the Town and Soke of Grantham, printed by W Bulmer, 1806 The pedigree included his date of birth, 25 th December 1642, and his baptism on 1 st January 1642/3 at Colsterworth which is in the county of Lincolnshire. As was required, he submitted an account of his lineage. In the following November, sensitive to his enhanced status, he applied to the College of Arms for a licence to display his personal coat of arms. ![]() Isaac Newton was made a Knight Bachelor by Queen Anne on 16 April 1705. ![]()
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