William Newton

William Newton, Anglican missionary at Edmonton (born in 1828 in Halstead, Essex, England; died 1910). He was the son of a weaver and baptized in the parish church in 1830. He is thought to have attracted the attention of wealthy Portuguese emigrants living in the neighbourhood who provided for his education. He served in England for some years as a Congregationalist minister, during which time he published two books of sermons, Studies in Divine Things (1863) and Fresh Religious Thoughts (1865).

In 1870 he emigrated to Canada, where he was ordained into the Anglican ministry by Bishop A.N. Bethune. He spent three years at Rosseau and a year or so at Howard Township, Ontario, before offering his services to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. He was accepted by John McLean, Bishop of Saskatchewan, as a missionary at Edmonton. He remained there for 20 years, apparently without his family, and laboured to build up the Anglican cause. He established two congregations, All Saints' (later the cathedral church of the diocese of Edmonton) and St Michael's. He also travelled widely in the surrounding area. He is said to have introduced the lilac to Edmonton. In 1889 he retired to Victoria, British Columbia.