The debates that surrounded writings on Newton from the 1820s to the 1860s were the result of the interest of an identifiable number of individuals and the availability of relevant manuscripts. They also show that interest in his moral character was the product of a period in which the structures of science were increasingly specialized, secularized and even professionalized. The preceding chapters illustrate Newton's recruitment in defence of a variety of positions, particularly when these were threatened by change. As supporters of the corpuscular theory of light, both Biot and Brewster were in an increasingly isolated position when they highlighted Newton's use of that hypothesis. More positively, Brewster also used Newton's biography in campaigns for government-funded science and against over-large claims for ‘Baconian’ methodology. However, because Newton had come to represent both Anglican and theoretical science, Baily and his supporters found an alternative hero in Flamsteed, who could be made to characterize their vision of the modern scientific labourer. The analysis of writings on Newton from this period has therefore proved a fruitful means of examining individual strategies and positioning within the scientific community at a key period in the development of modern science.

Newton's scientific and symbolic importance sparked research into his life, but it was the results of this research that generated a period of sustained debate. This was largely concluded by the publication of Brewster's 1855 biography, which, despite many similarities to his 1831 Life, provided evidence to confirm the truth of many of the suspicions regarding Newton's character. At least some details of his quarrelsome, secretive and suspicious nature, his interest in alchemy and his Antitrinitarianism were available to the interested reader. It should be remembered, however, that many other texts written at this time continued to propagate a less complex and more idealized image of Newton. As suggested in the final chapter, the depictions that were informed by original research or by knowledge of innovative scholarship coexisted with more traditional accounts of Newton's life. The texts examined in Recreating Newton represent the aims and struggles of authors who either chose or were forced to confront the sources relating to Newton's life.