Born William Gleadowe, he assumed the additional surname and arms of Newcomen following his marriage to
Charlotte Newcomen, only child and heiress of Edward Newcomen, on 17 October 1772. On 9 October 1781 he was created a
baronet, of Carrickglass in the
Baronetage of Ireland. His involvement in the enterprise is recalled in the naming of Newcomen Bridge which spans the Royal Canal at North Strand and was completed in 1793. He followed in his father's footsteps as a banker, running a private bank commonly known as
Newcomen's Bank. The former bank building is considered to be one of Dublin's finest eighteenth century buildings. It was designed by
Thomas Ivory in 1781. Between 1790 and 1800 Gleadowe-Newcomen was the
Member of Parliament for
County Longford in the
Irish House of Commons. Following the
Acts of Union 1800, he represented
Longford in the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom between 1801 and 1802. Newcomen lived at
Killester House which was upgraded and extended by Bryan Bolger around 1794. He is recorded as dying from a long and painful illness at Killester House in 1807. ==References==