Sir Francis Hotham

Sir John Hotham X died on 17 October 1524, leaving a son and heir Francis aged 4 years and over [1]. Because he was a minor when he succeeded, and some of the family property was held of the king in chief, his wardship was in the hands of Henry VIII., who in 1526 granted it to Sir Arthur Darcy [2]. Sir Arthur was the second son of Thomas, Lord Darcy of Aston, who was executed in 1537 his part in the Pilgrimage of Grace [3]. Sir Arthur joined the rebels after the capture of Pontefract in October 1536, and it appears that his wardship of Francis Hotham was resumed into the king's hands.

On 9 December 1542, Francis Hothom, esquire was given livery of his lands as son and heir of Sir John Hothom, deceased, in England, Wales, and Calais or their marches [4]. Francis was in Scotland under the Earl of Hertford in the spring of 1544 at the capture of Edinburgh, Leith and other places and was knighted by the Earl on 18 May 1544 at Butterden, together with 11 others [5].

Francis married, in or before 1540, Mary, youngest of the eight daughters of Humphrey Hercy of Grove, Nottinghamshire by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Digby of Kettleby [6]. He died on 3 December 1546, aged about 26, probably at Saundby, Nottinghamshire where he had written his will a week before on 26 November [7]. He made his wife Mary sole executrix of his will and named as supervisors, "John Hercie, of Grove, esquier, my brother in lawe, myne uncle, William Hothome, and William Meringe, esquier". He left a son and heir, John who was aged 6 years and 10 weeks at the date of his Yorkshire inquisition post mortem, taken at Pontefract on 10 June 1547 [8]. His widow married secondly Christopher Estofte of Ellerker, Yorkshire [9].

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

[2] Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, vol. 4: 1524-1530 (1875), 955

[3] Complete Peerage, vol. 4, 71: Sub Darcy, Chart pedigree.

[4] Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII: 1542, vol. 17 (1900), 688.

[5] Ibid., vol. 19 Part 1: January-July 1544 (1903), 328.

[6] Thoroton's History of Nottinghamshire, vol. 3 (1796), 260-264.

[7] Clay, Test. Ebor. VI, 246.

[8] TNA: C 142/84/46 as cited in Saltmarshe, History of the Hothams, 100.

[9] Court of Requests: Pleadings, REQ 2/5/331.