Background
Norton was the eldest surviving son of Henry Norton of Wantage in Berkshire, and probably grew up in Ireland where his father held an administrative post.
Norton was the eldest surviving son of Henry Norton of Wantage in Berkshire, and probably grew up in Ireland where his father held an administrative post.
He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War and was one of the regicides of King Charles I.
During the 1630s, Norton held a position as a minor official at the court of King Charles I.
Norton emerged as a radical Independent, with a particular interest in Irish affairs During the Commonwealth, Norton was associated with the republican Henry Marten, but he also came under suspicion of profiteering from the sale of confiscated Royalist estates and properties. He died in 1652. Henry however inherited the baronetcy on the death of his father.
He became active in local administration in Sussex and the Isle of Wight, and was elected as recruiter Member of Parliament for Midhurst in Sussex in October 1645. He was active in the legal proceedings against King Charles in 1649, sitting as a member of the High Court of Justice and signing the King"s death warrant.