The land on which the house is built was first purchased by Einion Sais, the great-great-grandfather of Dafydd Gam, the first of his family to adopt the name Gam, meaning one-eyed or cross-eyed, following his distinguished service under King Edward III during the Hundred-Years-War; Sais would fight in the famous battles of Crecy (1346) and Poitiers (1356). Dafydd Gam himself remains a controversial figure in Wales, for his opposition to the Glyndwr uprising as he was a vocal ally to King Henry V. Dafydd would die at the battle of Agincourt (1415), and allegedly received his knighthood from the king as he was dying on the battlefield. Some historians also consider him to be the inspiration for Shakespears Fluellen in the play Henry V. It would be his descendants who would rebuild Newton house in 1582, and they remained an influential family until the close of the 17th century. John Games I was the MP for Powys in 1545 (when he was referred to as “of Newton”), his son Edward Games was MP for Brecon in 1542 and 45. John Games II similarly held government office, being sheriff of the county 3 times, and it was him that would rebuild the Newton house, carving an elaborate genealogy into the fireplace lintel, that traced his lineage back to Dafydd Gam.