Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet
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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
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and the
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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
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, 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
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, 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