Sir Arthur Hopton (1488–15/16 August 1555) of

Cockfield Hall Cockfield Hall in Yoxford in Suffolk, England is a Grade I listed private house standing in of historic parkland, partly dating from the 16th century. Cockfield Hall takes its name from the Cokefeud Family, established there at the beginning o ...

Yoxford Yoxford is a village in East Suffolk, England, close to the Heritage Coast, Minsmere Reserve (RSPB), Aldeburgh and Southwold. It is known for its antique shops and (as "Loxford") for providing the setting for a Britten opera. The name 'Yoxford ...

, Suffolk was an English knight, landowner,

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

, and Member of Parliament.

The Hoptons at Blythburgh and Yoxford

John Hopton (c. 1405-1478), Sir Arthur's great-grandfather, was of Yorkshire background. His father Thomas was the acknowledged natural son of Sir Robert de Swyllington (died 1391), of

Swillington Swillington is a village and civil parish near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. It is situated east from Leeds city centre, north of the River Aire, and is surrounded by streams including Fleakin ...

in Yorkshire (between

Temple Newsam Temple Newsam (historically Temple Newsham), () is a Tudor- Jacobean house in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with grounds landscaped by Capability Brown. The estate lends its name to the Temple Newsam ward of Leeds City Council, in which i ...

and

Methley Methley is a dispersed village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, south east of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is located near Rothwell, Oulton, Woodlesford, Mickletown and Allerton Bywater. The Leeds City Ward is called Kippax ...

, south-east of

Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...

), who also held lands around

Blythburgh Blythburgh is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is west of Southwold and south-east of Halesworth and lies on the River Blyth. The A12 road runs through the village which is split ei ...

in Suffolk. Sir Robert's son Sir Roger (died 1417) developed his Suffolk holdings: when, in 1428, after a series of deaths, Sir Robert was shown to have entailed his estates upon Thomas Hopton and his heirs, the Yorkshire and Suffolk estates descended around 1430 to John Hopton. John purchased Cockfield Hall at Yoxford from

Sir John Fastolf Sir John Fastolf (6 November 1380 – 5 November 1459) was a late medieval English landowner and knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He has enjoyed a more lasting reputation as the prototype, in some part, of Shakespeare's charac ...

in 1440, but had for his principal residence the manor of Westwood at Blythburgh, midway between Blythburgh village and Priory and his quay at

Walberswick Walberswick is a village and civil parish on the Suffolk coast in England. It is at the mouth of the River Blyth on the south side of the river. The town of Southwold lies to the north of the river and is the nearest town to Walberswick, around ...

. John (who is buried in the Hopton chantry in Blythburgh parish church) became fully established in Suffolk, and was, by his last wife Thomasine Barrington, father of Sir William Hopton, his principal heir. William Hopton, Custos of

Dunwich Dunwich is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB around north-east of London, south of Southwold and north of Leiston, on the North Sea coast. In the Anglo-Saxon period, Dunwich was ...

and Treasurer of the Household to King

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

, was knighted by King Richard on the day before his coronation in 1483. William married Margaret Wentworth, daughter and heir of Sir Roger Wentworth of Nettlestead, Suffolk, and they were the parents of Sir George Hopton: Sir William died in 1484.

Arthur Hopton and his inheritance

Sir George (knighted in 1487) married Anne Sotehill of

Stockerston Stockerston is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, located on the border with Rutland, by the Eye Brook. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 35. The population remained le ...

, Leicestershire, but died aged 29 in 1490, very soon followed by his elder son John, a child. Thereupon George's second son, Arthur Hopton, an infant, became his father's heir in the manors of Westleton, Westhall,

Thorington Thorington is a village and a civil parish in the hundred of Blything, in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located around south-east of the town of Halesworth, immediately south of the village of Wenhaston. Th ...

and

Easton Bavents Easton Bavents is a hamlet and former civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the county of Suffolk, England. It now belongs to the civil parish of Reydon. Once an important village with a market, it has been much eroded by the North Sea. A ...

, and his brother's heir in the manor of Blythburgh, 'otherwise called West Woode', with its members and hamlets, in 1490, which was at first the headmanor. Furthermore at the death of his great-grandmother Thomasine in 1498, Arthur also became heir to the manors of

Wissett Wissett is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is north-east of the market town of Halesworth in the East Suffolk district. Historically, it was in the Blything Hundred.Middleton, and of Mourelles, though not yet of age to take possession. Arthur's mother Anne remarried in 1498 to Sir Robert, Lord Curson, who at once entered Hopton's manor of Westleton forcibly, claiming it should belong to Anne during her lifetime. Sir George Hopton had left the child in the wardship of four trusted friends, and his executors Sir Robert Clere (c.1453-1529, of Ormesby St. Margaret, Norfolk) and William Eyre became engaged in lengthy

Star Chamber The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an Kingdom of England, English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Council of England, Privy Counsellors ...

proceedings for the recovery of Arthur's rights. It was then about a decade later that he made his first marriage, to Maud, daughter of Sir Robert

Dymoke The Dymoke family of the Manor of Scrivelsby in the parish of Horncastle in Lincolnshire holds the feudal hereditary office of King's Champion. The functions of the Champion are to ride into Westminster Hall at the coronation banquet and ch ...

Scrivelsby Scrivelsby is a village and ecclesiastical parish in the East Lindsey district of the County of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated south of Horncastle and is on the B1183 road east from the A153 road. It is administered by the civil pari ...

(died 1546). Sir Robert had been knighted on the same occasion as Arthur's grandfather Sir William Hopton, and Robert's maternal grandparents Lionel Welles, 6th Baron Welles and Joan Waterton lay in a fine tomb at Methley, beside Swillington. Sir Robert Dymoke was

King's Champion The Honourable The King's (or Queen's) Champion is an honorary and hereditory office in the Royal Household of the British sovereign. The champion's original role at the coronation of a British monarch was to challenge anyone who contested the n ...

at the Coronations of Kings

, Henry VII and

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

. This marriage, however, although socially advantageous, produced no surviving children, and by 1518 Arthur Hopton had taken a second wife. The match was no less ambitious, his choice falling upon Anne, daughter of Sir Davy Owen of

Cowdray House Cowdray House consists of the ruins of one of England's great Tudor houses, architecturally comparable to many of the great palaces and country houses of that time. It is situated in the Parish of Easebourne, just east of Midhurst, West Sussex s ...

Midhurst Midhurst () is a market town, parish and civil parish in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother inland from the English Channel, and north of the county town of Chichester. The name Midhurst was first recorded in 1186 as ''Middeh ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an a ...

, a natural son of Sir

Owen Tudor Sir Owen Tudor (, 2 February 1461) was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois (1401–1437), widow of King Henry V of England. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Background O ...

(and therefore uncle to King Henry VII). Sir David Owen refers to "my daughter Anne Hopton" in his will. From this marriage came all of Sir Arthur's offspring, including five or six sons and four daughters, his eldest son and heir Owen (the future Sir Owen Hopton) being born c. 1519.

Service

Arthur served in the French campaign of 1513 and was knighted for his bravery after the

Battle of the Spurs The Battle of the Spurs or (Second) Battle of Guinegate (, "Day of the Spurs"; ''deuxième bataille de Guinegatte'') took place on 16 August 1513. It formed a part of the War of the League of Cambrai, during the Italian Wars. Henry VIII and Ma ...

. He was appointed to the commission for the peace in Suffolk in 1514 and remained on the bench for the rest of his life. He appears as one of the "Knights for the Body" in the royal household in 1516. He went with

and other knights to Henry's meeting with

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin onc ...

at the

Field of Cloth of Gold The Field of the Cloth of Gold (french: Camp du Drap d'Or, ) was a summit meeting between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France from 7 to 24 June 1520. Held at Balinghem, between Ardres in France and Guînes in the English P ...

in 1520. He was also present at the reception of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infant ...

in 1522, and attended the coronation of

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key f ...

in 1533. In 1536 he was summoned to the King's service with 100 men to suppress the

Pilgrimage of Grace The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular revolt beginning in Yorkshire in October 1536, before spreading to other parts of Northern England including Cumberland, Northumberland, and north Lancashire, under the leadership of Robert Aske. The "most ...

, and was taken with Sir Anthony Wingfield and Sir Thomas Tyrrell out of Suffolk in the company of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: with Wingfield and Sir John Candysshe he sent letters of information to the Duke from

Barton-upon-Humber Barton-upon-Humber () or Barton is a town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 11,066. It is situated on the south bank of the Humber Estuary at the southern end of the Humber Bridge. It is ...

in November. He sat upon juries for the trial of the rebels. He attended the christening of Prince Edward in 1537. He was a

knight of the shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistributio ...

for

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...

in 1539, and again in 1542, probably on both occasions with Sir Anthony Wingfield.

Building at Yoxford and Blythburgh

Sir Arthur is thought to have built Cockfield Hall at Yoxford in its Tudor brick form, including the part now forming the north wing of the later mansion, and the Gatehouse. This work may date to around 1520, since he was still principally resident in Blythburgh in 1524. The brick hall and farmstead of his principal manor of Westwood, known as Westwood or Blythburgh Lodge, which was also probably built in his time (but much modified since), stands south-east of the village on rising land facing south over water-meadows and pastures towards the Dunwich river. The reversion of the house and site of

Blythburgh Priory Blythburgh Priory was a medieval monastic house of Augustinian canons, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in the village of Blythburgh in Suffolk, England. Founded in the early 12th century, it was among the first Augustinian houses i ...

was granted to him in tail male in November 1538, with marsh and watermill and various closes, together with the manors of Blythburgh and Hinton Hall belonging to the priory, and with the parish rectories of Blythburgh, Bramfield,

and Wenhaston, the chapelry of

, and all messuages in those places belonging to them, excepting the

advowsons Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...

. Soon after this, in 1541 he disposed of his family manor of Swillington in Yorkshire, together with 60 messuages and two watermills and sundry lands, to Edward North, Esq., and two years later joined Sir Edward in conveying them together with lands in other Yorkshire parishes to Sir George Darcy (son of the attainted Lord Darcy, former owner of Temple Newsam), with the assistance of his son and heir apparent Owen Hopton, Esq.

Owen Hopton Sir Owen Hopton (c. 1519 – 1595) was an English provincial landowner, administrator and MP, and was Lieutenant of the Tower of London from c. 1570 to 1590. Early career Owen Hopton was the eldest son and heir of Sir Arthur Hopton of Cock ...

received a settlement of Blythburgh and other manors at the time of his marriage in 1542 to Anne, daughter of Sir Edward Echyngham of

Barsham, Suffolk Barsham is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is about west of Beccles, south of the River Waveney on the edge of The Broads National Park. It is spread either side of the B1062 Beccl ...

. Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk was in possession of the manor of Henham (formerly property of the de la Pole Dukes of Suffolk) in 1538 when he sold it with other lands nearby to the King. He had built there a Tudor mansion of red brick. In April 1545 the king's

Court of Augmentations Thomas Cromwell established the Court of Augmentations, also called Augmentation Court or simply The Augmentation in 1536, during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. It operated alongside three lesser courts (those of General Surveyors (1540 ...

granted the

bailiwick A bailiwick () is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and once also applied to territories in which a privately appointed bailiff exercised the sheriff's functions under a royal or imperial writ. The bailiwick is probably modelled on t ...

and keeping of the manor-place, garden and orchard of his manor of Henham to trustees who vested it in Sir Arthur Hopton. The Hall itself was granted by the king to Sir Anthony Rous of Dennington in his

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

as of fee. Sir Arthur therefore conveyed the bailiwick to Sir Anthony in November 1545, by an

indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...

preserved among the

Earl of Stradbroke Earl of Stradbroke, in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1821 for John Rous, 1st Baron Rous, who had earlier represented Suffolk in the House of Commons. He had already succeeded his fa ...

muniment A muniment or muniment of title is a legal term for a document, title deed or other evidence, that indicates ownership of an asset. The word is derived from the Latin noun ''munimentum'', meaning a "fortification, bulwark, defence or protection". ...

s. The Tudor mansion was destroyed by fire in 1773.

Family

Sir Arthur married first, but without issue, to Maud, daughter of Sir Robert

(died 1546) of

, Lincolnshire. Sir Arthur married secondly (by 1518) Anne, daughter of Sir David Owen of

. Their children included: ;Sons * (Sir)

Lieutenant of the Tower of London The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like the ...

, who married Anne, elder daughter of Sir Edward Echyngham of

. *

Robert Hopton Robert Hopton (c.1575-1638) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in two parliaments between 1604 and 1622. Hopton was the eldest son of Sir Arthur Hopton of Witham Friary, Somerset and his wife Rachel Hall, da ...

(died 1590), Marshal of the Household, 1560 - 1577, at first jointly with Sir

Ralph Hopton (died 1571) Sir Ralph Hopton (1509/1510 – 14 December 1571), of Witham, Somerset, was an English courtier and politician. He was the son of a member of the Hopton family and Agnes Haines. In younger life a servant of Thomas Cromwell, in 1540 he was gran ...

, his kinsman by marriage. Married Dorothy Pakenham. * Thomas Hopton * Charles Hopton, who in 1575 was granted a lifetime annuity of £13.6s.8d out of the manor of Blythburgh late Priory by his brother Owen. * John Hopton **

was the son of an unidentified Hopton and Agnes Haines. He is sometimes listed as a brother or half-brother of Sir Owen. That attribution is however doubtful: the relationship was that his niece Rachel Hall became his heir on condition that she marry a Hopton, and she married Sir

Arthur Hopton (died 1607) Sir Arthur Hopton (died 20 November 1607), of Witham, Somerset, was an English politician. He was member of parliament for Dunwich in 1571, and for Suffolk in 1589. He was made a Knight of the Bath at the coronation of King James I James I may r ...

, son of Owen Hopton. ;Daughters * Frances Hopton, married (1) ---- Jermy, and (2) Sir Thomas Nevill (of Yorkshire); she married (3) Richard Hovell of Rishangles. * Mary Hopton, married (1) Richard Gorney, of Cory Malet,

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 , lor ...

, and (2) William Butler (of Somerset) * Margaret Hopton, married (1) Anthony Cokett, of

Sibton Sibton is a village and civil parish on the A1120 road, in the East Suffolk district, in the English county of Suffolk. It is near the towns of Saxmundham and Halesworth, the village of Peasenhall and the hamlet of Sibton Green. The church is ...

, Suffolk and

North Mimms North Mymms is a civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire. At the 2011 Census the civil parish had a population of 8,921. The village itself is an enclosure. North Mymms Park and Brookmans Park enclose large areas of the parish. Even ...

, Hertfordshire, and (2) Arthur Robsert, natural son of Sir John Robsart of

Wymondham Wymondham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, south-west of Norwich off the A11 road to London. The River Tiffey runs through. The parish, one of Norfolk's largest, includes rural areas to t ...

and

Syderstone Syderstone is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, near the town of Fakenham. It has an area of . The population of 532 in 224 households at the 2001 census fell to 445 at the 2011 Census. Governance For the purposes of local governm ...

, Norfolk, and half-brother of

Amy Robsart Amy, Lady Dudley (née Robsart; 7 June 1532 – 8 September 1560) was the first wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, favourite of Elizabeth I of England. She is primarily known for her death by falling down a flight of stairs, th ...

. * Dorothy Hopton, married ---- Berrye, of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

, mother of Sir Benjamin Berrye (Deputy Governor of Portsmouth).''Visitations of Suffolk''
p. 44
(Internet Archive).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopton, Arthur, Sir 1488 births 1555 deaths English knights English MPs 1539–1540 English MPs 1542–1544