James Newton married Ann Cooke in 1848. The certificate shows he was a framework knitter residing in Belgrave Gate, Leicester. Both bride and groom declared they were 'minors', that is, under 21. The bride was probably 17 or 18 and the groom probably between 16 and 18 years old. This presumably makes it unusual that the witnesses were not members of either family. The name of James Newton's father is not shown. The reason for this is not known — for theories, see James Newton, Facts.