John Habington or Abington (died 1581) was an English courtier and administrator.

Career

A son of Richard Habington and his wife Eleanor Hanley of

Hanley William Hanley William is a village in Worcestershire, England. It is part of Hanley civil parish. Hanley William was in the upper division of Doddingtree The Hundred of Doddingtree was granted to Ralph Todeni, or ''Ralph de Toni'', a relative of ...

, John Habington's parental home was at

Brockhampton Brockhampton may refer to: *Brockhampton (band), an American self-described "boy band" and music collective *Brockhampton, Gloucestershire, Cotswold, England * Brockhampton, Tewkesbury, a location In geography, location or place are used to deno ...

near Bromyard in Herefordshire.

Berwick-upon-Tweed

Habington served the royal court in various administrative and financial roles. In October 1557 he was stationed at

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

, involved in the supply of rations for the garrison and army. He was made Surveyor-General of the Victuals at Berwick. The

Earl of Northumberland The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...

was pleased by the provisions for his house, but Habington discussed his resignation with the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in April 1559. This role of victualler at Berwick officially ended in November 1560, and Habington was instructed to give his accounts and the custody of storehouses at Berwick and

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...

to Valentine Browne the new Surveyor General of Berwick. Browne had not arrived by 23 February 1561, when Habington wrote to William Cecil from Berwick about the supplies.

Queen's kitchen

Habington was then clerk of the queen's kitchen to

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

, and in September 1580

cofferer The Cofferer of the Household was formerly an office in the English and British Royal Household. Next in rank to the Comptroller, the holder paid the wages of some of the servants above and below stairs, was a member of the Board of Green Cloth, a ...

to Elizabeth I. As a member of the

Board of Green Cloth The Board of Green Cloth was a board of officials belonging to the Royal Household of England and Great Britain. It took its name from the tablecloth of green baize that covered the table at which its members sat. It audited the accounts of the R ...

, he advocated for an in-house brewery for the court located at

Syon Park Syon Park is the garden of Syon House, the London home of the Duke of Northumberland in Isleworth in the London Borough of Hounslow The London Borough of Hounslow () is a London borough in West London, England, forming part of Outer London. ...

. According to

Raphael Holinshed Raphael Holinshed ( – before 24 April 1582) was an English chronicler, who was most famous for his work on ''The Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande'', commonly known as ''Holinshed's Chronicles''. It was the "first complete printe ...

, Habington was "an officer of good credit in her highness's house" grateful for his "many advancements".

Hindlip Hall

Habington bought and rebuilt

Hindlip Hall Hindlip Hall is a stately home in Hindlip, Worcestershire, England. The first major hall was built before 1575, and it played a significant role in both the Babington and the Gunpowder plots, where it hid four people in priest holes. It was Hump ...

near Worcester, where a fireplace was dated 1572. His portrait wearing a fur-edged robe survives. Elizabeth I came to Worcestershire in 1575. She stayed at the Bishop's Palace in Worcester and visited Hindlip on 16 August. Habington attended the queen when she hunted at Hallow Park near Worcester on 18 August. He was keeper of the park, and Elizabeth discussed with him making a gift of the two buck deer she had killed to the town's bailiffs. Elizabeth lost a gold button that day. She gave his wife Dorothy Habington a French kirtle of russet during her visit in 1575. John Habington died in 1581 and was buried at

Hindlip Hindlip or Hinlip is a village and civil parish north east of Worcester, England, Worcester, in the Wychavon district, in the county of Worcestershire, England. In 2011 the parish had a population of 180. The parish touches Tibberton, Worcestersh ...

. His eldest son Thomas and daughter-in-law Mary Habington placed a memorial tablet in the church. The brewery at Syon was not a success, as it was claimed London water made better beer, and it closed soon after his death.

Marriages and children

John Habington's first wife was Catharine Wykes, daughter of John Wykes, whose family was from

Moreton Jeffries Moreton Jeffries (or Moreton Jefferies) is a hamlet in the English county of Herefordshire. It is situated off the A465 between Stoke Lacy and Burley Gate, approximately 8½ miles north-east of Hereford. It has a medieval church, which has bee ...

in Herefordshire. Catharine Wykes was John Habington's cousin. His second wife was Dorothy Bradbelt, a

chamberer A chamberer was a female attendant of an English queen, queen consort, or princess. There were similar positions in aristocratic households. Chamberers at court At court, the position was similar to a male groom of the privy chamber. The names of t ...

to Elizabeth I. They married in 1567. As a wedding gift, Elizabeth gave Dorothy a Flanders gown of black velvet with satin made by her tailor

Walter Fyshe Walter Fyshe (died 1585) was a London tailor who worked for Elizabeth I until 1582. He also made some of her farthingales. Fyshe made the queen's ceremonial clothes and coronation robes, altering robes made for the coronation of Mary I of England. ...

. Elizabeth gave them property, including a lease of the rectory of Utterby in Lincolnshire, confirmed in June 1570. There is some doubt over details of the family tree. John Habington's children included: *

Thomas Habington Sir Thomas Habington or Abington (1560–1647) was an English antiquarian, son of John Habington and Catherine Wykes, and the brother of Edward Habington. His father, who was treasurer to Queen Elizabeth, had him educated at Oxford, Reims, and P ...

(1560–1647), born at

Thorpe Park Thorpe Park Resort, commonly known as Thorpe Park, is an amusement park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertai ...

near

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in the ...

, who married Mary Parker, a daughter of

Edward Parker, 12th Baron Morley Edward Parker, 12th Baron Morley (c. 1550 – 1618) was an English peer, Lord of Morley, Hingham, Hockering, &c., in Norfolk, the son of Henry Parker, 11th Baron Morley and Lady Elizabeth Stanley. His second daughter was Frances Danby. His first ...

, their children included the poet

William Habington William Habington (4 November 1605 – 30 November 1654) was an English poet. Life Habington was born at Hindlip Hall, Worcestershire, and belonged to a well-known Catholic family. His father, Sir Thomas Habington, an antiquary and historical sch ...

. Mary Habington used to be considered as the author of the letter alerting her brother

William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle William Parker, 13th Baron Morley, 4th Baron Monteagle (15751 July 1622), was an English peer, best known for his role in the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot. In 1605 Parker was due to attend the opening of Parliament. He was a member of the Hou ...

to the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sought ...

. She signed her letters "Mary Abington". A portrait at Hindlip said to be hers was engraved for

Treadway Russell Nash Treadway Russell Nash (24 June 1724 page 459 – 26 January 1811Chambers, p464) was an English clergyman, now known as an early historian of Worcestershire and the author of ''Collections for the History of Worcestershire'', an important source d ...

's ''Collections for the history of Worcestershire''. * Edward Habington * Richard Habington, who married (1) Bridget Drury (2) Constance Edmonson. His children included a Dorothy Habington (said by Nash to have been brought up at court and a zealous Protestant). * A daughter who was the subject of a marriage negotiation in 1582 for

Matthew Browne Sir Matthew Browne (1563 – 1 August 1603) of Betchworth Castle, Surrey, Member of parliament, MP, was the only son of Thomas Browne (died 1597), Sir Thomas Browne and Mabel Fitzwilliam. He was involved in legal and financial transactions concer ...

a son of

Thomas Browne Sir Thomas Browne (; 19 October 160519 October 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science and medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curi ...

Betchworth Castle Betchworth Castle is a mostly crumbled ruin of a fortified medieval stone house with some tall, two-storey corners strengthened in the 18th century, in the north of the semi-rural parish of Brockham. It is built on a sandstone spur overlooking ...

. * Dorothy Habington, said to be a sister of Thomas Habington and brought up at court, later a recusant who sheltered Thomas Butler ''alias'' Lyster and

Edward Oldcorne Edward Oldcorne alias ''Hall'' (1561 – 7 April 1606) was an English Jesuit priest. He was known to people who knew of the Gunpowder Plot to destroy the Parliament of England and kill James I of England, King James I; and although his inv ...

at Hindlip. Her

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

by Oldcorne was described by

John Gerard John Gerard (also John Gerarde, c. 1545–1612) was an English herbalist with a large garden in Holborn, now part of London. His 1,484-page illustrated ''Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes'', first published in 1597, became a popular gard ...

. Dorothy Habington, her sister-in-law Mary Habington, and

Anne Vaux Anne Vaux (c. 1562 – in or after 1637) was a wealthy Catholic recusant. Background Vaux was the third daughter of William Vaux, 3rd Baron Vaux of Harrowden (1535–1595) and his first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of John Beaumont of Grace Die ...

are sometimes identified as those who sustained Oldcorne and

Henry Garnet Henry Garnet (July 1555 – 3 May 1606), sometimes Henry Garnett, was an English Jesuit priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Heanor, Derbyshire, he was educated in Nottingham and later at Winchester Colle ...

with drinks and

caudle A caudle (or caudel) was a hot drink that recurred in various guises throughout British cuisine from the Middle Ages into Victorian times. It was thick and sweet, and seen as particularly suitable and sustaining for invalids and new mothers. At ...

through a quill or straw from a "gentlewoman's chamber" while they hid in a priest's hole built into a chimney at Hindlip in 1606. Garnet was supplied with sweetmeats and with marmalade, which might have served to make invisible ink. Edward and Thomas Abington were involved in the

Babington Plot The Babington Plot was a plan in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, her Catholic cousin, on the English throne. It led to Mary's execution, a result of a letter sent by Mary (who had been impris ...

to replace Elizabeth with

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

. In 1590, Thomas and Richard Abington were allowed to keep lands pledged for debts incurred by their father John Habington as cofferer.Robert Lemon, ''Calendar State Papers Domestic Elizabeth, 1581–1590'' (London, 1865), p. 668. Hindlip Hall was entirely rebuilt and later passed to the brewer

Henry Allsopp, 1st Baron Hindlip Henry Allsopp, 1st Baron Hindlip DL (19 February 1811 – 2 April 1887), known as Sir Henry Allsopp, Bt, between 1880 and 1886, was a British businessman and Conservative politician. Background Allsopp was the third son of Samuel Allsopp (12 Augu ...

and is now a headquarters building used by

West Mercia Police West Mercia Police (), formerly the West Mercia Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin) and Worcestershire in England. The force area cover ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Habington, James 1581 deaths Court of Elizabeth I People from Bromyard Garrison of Berwick-upon-Tweed