
Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet ( – 3 January 1645) of
Scorborough Hall, near
Driffield
Driffield, also known as Great Driffield (neighbouring Little Driffield), is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The civil parish is formed by the town of Driffield and the village of Little Driffield. By ...
, Yorkshire, was an
English Member of Parliament who was
Governor of Hull in 1642 shortly before the start of the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. He refused to allow King
Charles I or any member of his entourage to enter the town, thereby depriving the king of access to the large arsenal contained within. Later in the Civil War he and his son
John Hotham the younger were accused of treachery to the Parliamentarian cause, found guilty and executed on
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher gro ...
.
Origins
He was born in 1589 the second but only surviving son of
John Hotham (1540–1609) of Scorborough, who in 1584 had been elected a Member of Parliament for
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
in Yorkshire. His mother has been variously given as Julian Stanhope, a daughter of
Sir Michael Stanhope of
Shelford,
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
or as Jane Legard, a daughter of Richard Legard of Rysome, Yorkshire.
Career
He fought on the continent of Europe during the early part of the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. In 1622 he was made a
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
. He was elected a Member of Parliament for
Beverley in the five Parliaments between 1625 and 1640, and served as
Sheriff of Yorkshire
The High Sheriff, Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferr ...
in 1634. In 1639 he was deprived by the king of his office of Governor of
Hull, and joining the parliamentary party, he refused to pay
ship-money. In January 1642 Hotham was ordered by Parliament to seize the town of Hull, where there was a large store of munitions of war; this was at once carried out by his son
John Hotham the younger. Hotham senior took command of Hull and in April 1642 refused to admit King
Charles I to the town. Later he promised his prisoner,
George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol, that he would surrender the town to the king, but when Charles appeared again he refused a second time and drove away the besiegers.
Meanwhile, Hotham the younger was taking an active part in the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
and
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
, but was soon at variance with other parliamentary leaders, especially with
Lord Fairfax and his son Sir
Thomas Fairfax
Sir Thomas Fairfax (17 January 1612 – 12 November 1671) was an English army officer and politician who commanded the New Model Army from 1645 to 1650 during the English Civil War. Because of his dark hair, he was known as "Black Tom" to his l ...
, and complaints about his conduct and that of his troops were made by
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
and by Colonel
John Hutchinson. Soon both the Hothams were corresponding with the
Earl of Newcastle, and Hotham the younger was probably ready to betray Hull; these proceedings became known to Parliament, and in June 1643 father and son were captured and taken to
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
Death and burial

After a long delay, they were tried by
court-martial
A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...
, found guilty, and sentenced to death. The younger Hotham was beheaded at
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher gro ...
on 2 January 1645, and despite efforts made by the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
and the
Presbyterians
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
to save him, his father suffered the same fate on the following day. Both were buried at the nearby church of
All Hallows-by-the-Tower. A tomb monument was erected in his memory in St Mary's Church, South Dalton. The baronetcy passed to Sir John's grandson
Sir John Hotham, 2nd Baronet, the son of Hotham the younger.
Marriages and children
Sir John married five times and had sixteen children of whom six sons and three daughters survived childhood.
*Firstly, on 16 February 1607, to Katherine Rodes, daughter of Sir John Rodes of
Barlborough, Derbyshire. By Katherine, who brought a
dowry
A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage.
Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
of 1,000
marks
Marks may refer to:
Business
* Mark's, a Canadian retail chain
* Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain
* Collective trade marks
A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...
, he had two sons and two daughters, who all predeceased their father,
including:
**
John Hotham the younger, eldest son and
heir apparent
An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
, who with his father was accused of treachery, found guilty and executed.
*Secondly, on 16 July 1614 to Anne Rokeby—daughter and heiress of Ralph Rokeby (died 1595), Deputy Secretary of the Council in the North 1587–95—by whom he had three sons, including:
**Rev.
Charles Hotham (1615– ), Rector of
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
, a Cambridge scholar and author of ''Ad Philosophiam Teutonicam Manuductio'' (1648). He supported Parliament during the Civil War, and was ejected as a minister shortly after the
Restoration of the Monarchy.
**
Durant Hotham (1617–1691), a lawyer, landowner, and
East Riding magistrate, author of a ''Life'' of
Jakob Boehme (1654).
[
*Thirdly he married Frances Legard, daughter of John Legard, of the ]City of London
The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
London and of Ganton, North Yorkshire, a member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers
The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, one of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, is an ancient merchant guild of London associated with the silk and velvet trades.
History and functions
The Haberdashers' Company received its first ro ...
, by whom he had three daughters, who all predeceased their father.[
*Fourthly, on 27 October 1631, he married Katherine Bamburgh ( d. 31 August 1634][), a daughter of Sir William Bamburgh, 1st Baronet of Howsham, Yorkshire, and widow of Sir Thomas Norcliffe of Langton, Yorkshire. By Katherine Bamburgh he had two daughters, one of whom predeceased their father.
*Fifthly, on 7 May 1635, he married Sarah Anlaby, a daughter of Thomas Anlaby of Etton, Yorkshire, by whom he had four daughters.][
]
Theatrical Representations
In 2017, a play called ''The Hypocrite'', written by Richard Bean was performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at Hull Truck Theatre and Stratford. Sir John Hotham was played by Mark Addy and Lady Sarah Hotham played by Caroline Quentin.
Notes
References
*
Attribution
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotham, John
Year of birth unknown
1645 deaths
People from Beverley
Hotham, John, 1st Baronet
Roundheads
High sheriffs of Yorkshire
People executed by decapitation
English MPs 1625
English MPs 1626
English MPs 1628–1629
English MPs 1640 (April)
English MPs 1640–1648
English politicians convicted of crimes
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
Year of birth uncertain