Elizabeth Headlam

Elizabeth Headlam, was probably born about 1500. She married firstly about 1518, Sir John Hotham X who died on 17 October 1524. She married secondly as his second wife, Sir John Constable of Halsham. In Glover's visitation pedigree of the Hothams taken in 1585, she is named as "daughter of Metham" [1] but this is impossible. John Constable's first wife was Agnes Metham, daughter of Sir Thomas Metham which means that if she was a Metham, Constable married his first wife's sister which was not permissible by the church. In Glover's visitation pedigree of the Constables of Halsham, Elizabeth is described as "daughter of Headlam and widow of Sir John Hotham of Scorborough" [2].

Her parentage remains unknown but there are clues which point towards her being from the family of Headlam of Nunthorpe, Yorkshire. It is probable that she was the daughter or granddaughter of Christopher Headlam of Nunthorpe [3], eldest son of Sir John Headlam of Nunthorpe, who died in 1461 [4]. By a deed which is probably a marriage settlement, dated 20 January 1518, John Hotham settled the manors of Scorborough, Wilton, and Marton, with the college in the church of Lowthorpe on himself and his wife Elizabeth for life, remainder to their heirs, the trustees being William and John Bulmer, Ralph and William Headlam and others [5]. Ralph and William Headlam were probably Elizabeth's brothers. In the will of Sir William Bulmer of Wilton, dated 6 October 1531, he leaves 20 pounds each to his nephews Ralph and William Headlam [6], which may mean that their mother was a sister of Sir William Bulmer. Her presumed brother Ralph Headlam died seised of the manor of Nunthorpe in 1544-45 [7].

Elizabeth died on 20 June 1529, aged about 29. Her inquisition post mortem was held at Malton on 8 November 1529; in it she is described as "Elizabeth Constable widow of Sir John Hotham knt.," and it was found "that Sir John settled on her for life the manors of Scorborough, Wilton and Sewerby by deed dated 20 January, 9, H. VIII., and that Francis Hotham aged 8 and over is her son and heir" [8].

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[1] Foster, Visitation of Yorkshire, 1584-85 and 1612, 89.

[2] Ibid., 57.

[3] William Page, ed., A History of the County of York North Riding, vol. 2, 1923, 226.

[4] Raine, Test. Ebor. II, 247.

[5] TNA: C 142/43/64 as cited in Saltmarshe, History of the Hothams, 95.

[6] J. Raine, ed., Testamenta Eboracensia: A Selection of Wills from the Registry at York, Vol. V, Surtees Society 79, 1884, 308.

[7] TNA: C 142/71/70.

[8] TNA: C 142/51/82 as cited in Saltmarshe, History of the Hothams, 97.