Famous Grantham 'son' Sir Isaac Newton has been accused by a leading university of being a "potential beneficiary of colonialism."

Sir Isaac, who was born at Woolsthorpe Manor, just south of Grantham and educated at The King's School, Grantham, has been named of one of several historic figures as Sheffield University plans to 'decolonise' its engineering curriculum.

The Sunday Telegraph has revealed the university aims to tackle "Eurocentric" and "white saviour" approaches to science.

Sir Isaac is a renowned 17th Century physicist, mathematician and astronomer, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time.

Sheffield University has not explained in its draft plans how Sir Isaac benefited from colonialism but he did hold shares in the South Sea Company, which traded in slaves.

Furthermore, during a break from Cambridge University, he started developing various theories.

While studying the ocean tides, he needed tidal readings from around the world.

ScienceMag has reported some of his most important readings came from French slave ports on the Caribbean island of Martinique.

James Delbourgo, a historian at Rutgers University, New Jersey, said: "Newton himself, who's really the paradigm figure of an isolated, non-traveling, sitting-at-his-desk genius, had access to numbers he wouldn't have had access to without the Atlantic slave trade."

However, Sir Isaac's investments in the the South Sea Company, which traded in slaves, were a failure, with him eventually losing £20,000 (£4 million in today's money) when the organisation collapsed in 1720.

Writer and Newton biographer James Gleick, told the Sunday Telegraph: "Whether Newton's foolish investment in South Sea shares in 1720 means that he participated in the slave trade is arguable. I would say that all England benefited from colonialism."

The draft plans at Sheffield University are the latest in a drive by major institutions to reconsider their past, including their links to slavery and racism, following last year's wave of Black Lives Matter protests.

Sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, protests spread to Britain and looking at the UK's links to slavery and historical racism, they led to demands for the removal of statues of Cecil Rhodes and Winston Churchill and for organisations to admit if they had benefited from slavery.

In September, The National Trust was accused of 'wokeism' after it published a report into 93 historic houses' links to slavery.

Historic England also produced a report claiming links to slavery at Little Ponton Hall and Burghley House in Stamford, plus other historic properties in Lincolnshire, as reported by Nub News.

Deepings MP Sir John Hayes attacked the report and its authors: "It has no use whatsoever and it's indicative of an organisation that needs to be brought to order."

But English Heritage responded its work is to "champion, protect and advance the public's knowledge of all of England's historic environment."