Robert Hopton (c.1575-1638) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

in two parliaments between 1604 and 1622. Hopton was the eldest son of Sir Arthur Hopton of

Witham Friary Witham Friary is a small English village and civil parish located between the towns of Frome and Bruton in the county of Somerset. It is in the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the ancient Forest of ...

, Somerset and his wife Rachel Hall, daughter of Edmund Hall of

Greatford Greatford is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated west from the A15, north-east from Stamford, and south from Bourne. Greatford is noted for Greatford Hall, once the home of ...

, Lincolnshire. In 1604, he was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...

. Between about 1609 and 1617 he was engaged in the construction of

Evercreech Evercreech is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish south east of Shepton Mallet, and north east of Castle Cary, in the Mendip District, Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Stoney Stratton and ...

House. He was

Sheriff of Somerset The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government A ...

for the year 1618 to 1619. In 1621 he was elected MP for

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

.W.L. Rutton, 'Pedigree of Hopton of Suffolk and Somerset', in J.J. Howard (ed.), ''Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica'', 3rd Series Vol. III (Mitchell and Hughes, London 1900)
pp. 9-12
and note
pp. 81-86
(Internet Archive).

Family

By his wife Jane Kemeys (daughter and heir of Rowland Keymis of the Vaudrey, or Faerdref, Monmouthshire), Robert Hopton had several children: *

Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton, (159628 September 1652), was an English politician, soldier and landowner. During the 1642 to 1646 First English Civil War, he served as Royalist commander in the West Country, and was made Baron Hopton of Stra ...

, who married Elizabeth (died 1646), daughter of Arthur Capell of

Little Hadham Little Hadham is a village and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, England. At the census of 2001 it had a population of 1,081, increasing to 1,153 at the 2011 Census. It is bypassed by the A120 road, which connects ...

, Hertfordshire, and widow of Justinian Lewin of

Otterden Otterden is a civil parish and village on the Kent Downs in the borough of Maidstone in Kent, England. History Otterden is mentioned in the Domesday Book under Kent in the lands belonging to Adam FitzHubert. The book which was written in 1086 sai ...

, Kent.'Hopton', in F.T. Colby (ed.), ''The Visitation of the County of Somerset in the Year 1623'', Harleian Society Vol. XI (1876)
pp. 56-57
(Internet Archive). From Harleian MS 1141.J.P. Ferris/S. Healy, 'Hopton, Ralph (1596-1652), of Witham Friary, Som.', in A. Thrush and J.P. Ferris (eds), ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604-1629'' (from Cambridge University Press, 2010)
History of Parliament Online
* William Hopton (University of Oxford); died young. * Mary Hopton, who married (1) Sir Henry Mackworth, 2nd Bt. (died 1640), son and heir of Sir Thomas Mackworth, Bart., of

Normanton, Rutland Normanton is a village and civil parish on the eastern shore of Rutland Water in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population remained less than 100 at the 2011 census and was included in the civil parish of Edith Weston. ...

, and Sir Thomas Burton (died 1693) of

Burton Lazars Burton Lazars is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Burton and Dalby, in the Melton district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is south-east of Melton Mowbray, having a population of c.450 in 2015. It is the si ...

, Leicestershire. * Margaret Hopton, who married Sir Baynham Throckmorton (1606-1664), 2nd Bart., MP, of

Clearwell Clearwell (anciently "Clower-Wall" etc.) is a village and former ancient manor in the Forest of Dean, West Gloucestershire, England. A recent survey indicated that the population of Clearwell is approximately 350. There are mines locally that ...

, Gloucestershire. * Catherine Hopton (died 1663), married John Wyndham (died 1649) of

Orchard Wyndham Orchard Wyndham is a historic manor near Williton in Somerset, centred on the synonymous grade I listed manor house of Orchard Wyndham that was situated historically in the parish of Watchet and about two miles south of the parish church of ...

, Somerset. * Rachael Hopton, who married (1) David Kemys of

Cefn Mably House Cefn Mably House ( cy, Ty Cefn Mabli) is a mansion situated in Cefn Mably, Caerphilly County Borough, Wales. It is a Grade II listed building. The gardens surrounding the house are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Specia ...

, Glamorgan, and (2) Thomas Morgan of

Tredegar Tredegar (pronounced , ) is a town and community situated on the banks of the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in the southeast of Wales. Within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the In ...

, Monmouthshire. * Joan Hopton (1607-1609), buried at Ditcheat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopton, Robert 1638 deaths English landowners High Sheriffs of Somerset English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1621–1622 Year of birth uncertain