Henry Newport, 3rd Earl of Bradford

Henry Newport, 3rd Earl of Bradford (1683 – 23 December 1734) was an English peer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1706 and 1722.

Weston Park, Staffordshire- seat of the Earls of Bradford

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Newport was the eldest son of Richard Newport, 2nd Earl of Bradford and his wife Mary Wilbraham. He was educated at Westminster School and matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford on 4 May 1699 aged 15.[1]

Newport was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bishop's Castle at a by-election on 5 March 1706. At the 1708 general election, he was returned unopposed as MP for Shropshire but was defeated in 1710. He was again elected MP for Shropshire at the 1713 general election[2] and at the 1715 general election but was defeated in 1722. He was Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Staffordshire between 1715 and 1725,[3]

Newport succeeded his father's titles on 14 June 1723. He was Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire and Custos Rotulorum of Montgomeryshire between 1724 and 1734.[3]

Lord Bradford died in St James Place, London, unmarried, but father of an illegitimate son. He was buried on 20 January 1734 in Westminster Abbey, Westminster and was succeeded in his titles by his younger brother Thomas Newport, an imbecile who never married. The entailed estates such as Weston Park then passed to the 4th earl's sister Anne, who had married Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 4th Baronet.

The illegitimate son of Sir Henry, Lord Bradford was born John Harrison to Ann Smyth in 1720. His father died before John Harrison obtained his majority and the considerable unentailed estate left to him was administered by a committee chaired by his mother. In accordance with his late father's wishes, John Harrison changed his name to John Newport by private act of parliament.[4] His mother had him declared insane before he came into his inheritance and she remained in control of his fortune. Upon her death, William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, controlled the estate. John Newport had no children per the official record, however this is disputed by a large number of descendants of one Samuel Newport and his two brothers, who emigrated to New Zealand in 1842 and were purportedly the great-grandsons of John Newport. This claim has only been supported by coincident records and oral history to date.