Cary Newton

Cary Coke (née Newton)

Both Coke and her husband were enthusiastic patrons of the theatre. Mary Pix dedicated her play Queen Catherine to Coke in 1698.

In April 1707, her husband Edward died, and she followed a few months later on 4 August. Her will is held in the National Archives of the United Kingdom. They died with debts exceeding £22,000, and whilst most of their possessions were sold, books valued at £193 6s were kept for their eldest son, Thomas.

Collections Both Coke and her husband were book collectors and in 1701 each had a bookplate made. Some of these books are now located in the Holkham library. The plays in the Coke collection are valuable due to their apparently unaltered condition, with none of the plays having been perfected and no volumes have been disbound to dispose of duplicates.