a West Country Family: the Pophams From 1150

Speaker of the Firm of Commons and Lord Chief Justice

Sir John Popham
Sir John Popham (1531–1607), Lord Chief Justice. 1602 portrait past unknown artist, collection of Harvard Law School
Born	1531 Huntworth, Northward Petherton, Somerset
Died	x October 1607 (anile 75–76) Wellington, Somerset
Occupation	Speaker of the House of Commons, Attorney General, Lord Chief Justice
Spouse(s)	Amy Adams (alias Games)[1]
Parent(s)	Alexander Popham, Jane Stradling
Signature

Sr. John Popham knight Lorde Cheife Justice of England & of her Maj. well-nigh honorable Privie Counsell. Sir John Popham (1531–1607), Lord Chief Justice. Left: Re-create by George Perfect Harding (1781–1853) of lost original by unknown artist. National Portrait Gallery, London, NPG 2405; right another existing version, possibly original or farther copy from aforementioned source

Arms of Popham: Silver, on a chief gules two stag's heads cabossed or; right: particular from monument to Sir John Popham in Wellington Church, showing a crescent sable for difference with crest: A stag'due south caput and neck erased proper

Sir John Popham (1531 – 10 June 1607)^{[ citation needed ]} of Wellington, Somerset, was Speaker of the House of Eatables (1580 to 1583), Chaser General (1581 to 1592) and Lord Chief Justice of England (1592 to 1607).

Origins [edit]

Escutcheon in the Pole Chapel of Colyton Church, Devon, showing arms of Popham impaling Stradling (Paly of half dozen silvery and azure, on a bend gules three mullets or), representing the marriage of Sir John Popham's parents

Popham was born in 1531 at Huntworth in the parish of North Petherton, near Bridgwater, in Somerset, the second son of Alexander Popham (c. 1504 – 1556) of Huntworth, twice MP for Bridgwater in 1545 and 1547, by his married woman Jane Stradling, a daughter of Sir Edward Stradling (died 1535) of St Donat's Castle, Glamorgan;^[2] 1 of Jane's brothers is Thomas Stradling. St Donat's Castle situated on the south coast of Glamorgan was a brusque sail beyond the Bristol Aqueduct into the inland port of Bridgwater on the River Parret. The Popham family unit had held the manor of Huntworth since the 13th century when Sir Hugh de Popham (tempore Edward I) (a younger son of the Popham family of the estate of Popham, Hampshire) married Joan de Kentisbury, daughter and heiress of Sir Stephen de Kentisbury of Huntworth.^[iii] His nephews included George Popham, founder of Popham Colony (of which Sir John was one of the principal fiscal backers) and Sir William Pole (1561–1635), the historian of Devon.

Education [edit]

He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he read classics and divinity, and entered the Center Temple as a law pupil.

Career [edit]

He served as an MP for Lyme Regis in 1558 and for Bristol in 1571 and 1572 and was a Justice of the Peace in Somerset. He served in the honourable position of Recorder of Bridgwater and of Bristol.^[four] He was promoted to serjeant-at-law in 1578 and appointed Solicitor-Full general in 1579. In 1581 he was elected Speaker of the Business firm of Commons and after that twelvemonth was appointed Attorney-General. In 1592 following the decease of Sir Christopher Wray, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Queen'due south Bench, which position he retained until his death.

Popham is credited with maintaining the stability of the British Country, and for being 1 of the "real colonisers" of the British Empire; hosting two Wabanaki tribesmen kidnapped on the Maine declension in 1605, later on funding and orchestrating the aborted Popham Colony at the mouth of the Kennebec River, Maine (1607–1608).

Popham became a very wealthy man, and amongst the many estates he owned was Publow in Somerset,^[5] Littlecote in Wiltshire, and Hemyock Castle in Devon. In Peter Blundell'due south will^[half-dozen] of 1599 Popham was asked to establish a complimentary grammar school in the town of Tiverton in Devon, which resulted in his founding of Blundell's Schoolhouse which opened in 1604 and still exists to this day.

Famous trials [edit]

In 1595 Popham presided over the trial of the Jesuit Robert Southwell and passed sentence of death by hanging, drawing and quartering. He also presided over the trials of Sir Walter Raleigh (1603) and the conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot, including Guy Fawkes (1606). He was likewise involved in the trial at Fotheringhay Castle of Mary, Queen of Scots (1587) which resulted in her execution.

While working as the messenger to the Queen, Popham was imprisoned by Robert Devereux, second Earl of Essex with his henchman. E'er stoic, Popham replied that at his age, death would be "simply cut off a few years". However, he was rescued and rowed to rubber past Sir Ferdinando Gorges (1565–1647).

He was noted for his severity towards thieves, and for strict enforcement of the Penal Laws.

Union and children [edit]

Effigies of Sir John Popham and his wife Amy Adams, Wellington Church building

John Popham married Amy Adams^[1] (allonym Games), daughter and heiress of Hugh (alias Howel) Adams (alias Games) of Castleton, Glamorgan, a fortified manor business firm 800 metres north-east of the hamlet of St Athan. Castleton was from the early 12th century the caput of the lordship of St Athan established by the Nerber family, and held from the overlords the Earls of Gloucester, comprising 4 knight'south fees.^[vii] John de Nerber was the last in the line, and died in the early 16th century. In 1528, "past corrupt dealings",^[8] Castleton was acquired by Howel Adams. In 1538 Leland (died 1552) recorded: "Castleton, a manor identify on a hille ascending from the ripe.^[9] And late it (exist)longgid to one Hugh Adam, a man of mene lands whos doughter is now heir of it".^[10] Past his marriage Popham inherited Castleton and sold it to his maternal relative Sir Thomas Stradling of St Donat's Castle.^[eleven] By his married woman he had effect one son and 6 daughters including:

• Sir Francis Popham (c. 1573 – 1644), only son, and heir, MP, of Wellington, Somerset and Littlecote, Wiltshire, who married Anne Gardiner Dudley and was the begetter of Edward Popham (1610–1651), General-at-Sea, and of Colonel Alexander Popham (1605–1669), JP, MP, who fought for the Parliamentarians during the Civil War and had a garrison stationed at Littlecote Business firm. Another of his descendants was Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham (1762–1820), who developed the Signal Code adopted past the Navy in 1803.
• Penelope Popham;
• Elinor Popham;
• Elizabeth Popham (d.1637), married woman of Sir Richard Champernowne (1558-1622), lord of the estate of Modbury in Devon, Sheriff of Devon in 1591, created a knight of the Bathroom in 1599.^[12]
• Mary Popham;
• Amy Popham.

Residences [edit]

Wellington Firm, Somerset [edit]

Montacute Firm, e front, comparable in size^[13] and appointment to Wellington House built past Sir John Popham and destroyed in 1645

As his primary residence he congenital Wellington Firm, a "large and stately mansion"^[14] in the boondocks of Wellington, Somerset, "only slightly smaller than Montacute"^[13] also in Somerset (built in about 1598 by Sir Edward Phelips, Master of the Rolls and the prosecutor during the trial of the Gunpowder Plotters). It was destroyed during the Ceremonious War (1642–1651), having been "obtained past strategem by one Bovet of Taunton who converted it into a garrison for the use of the Parliament ground forces and defended it for a considerable fourth dimension against Sir Richard Grenville who came to its rescue in which contest it was and then battered that it was never afterward deemed worthy repairing". ^[14] In March 1645 the Royalist commander Grenville was ordered to march into Somersetshire and assist in the siege of Taunton. While inspecting the fortifications of "Wellington House" he was severely wounded, and obliged for a time to resign the control of his forces to Sir John Berkeley.^[15] Wellington had probably been supplying Blake with necessaries for some time, and Colonel Bovet, a very ardent Parliamentarian, got possession of Popham's business firm and made it a stronghold for his party. And then against Wellington Grenville directed the Royalist forcefulness and levelled Popham's house almost to the footing, himself beingness then severely injured that the leadership of his men had to be transferred to Sir John Barkley. The following certificate dated 19 October 1650^[sixteen] was addressed to Justices of Peace of Somerset:^[17]

"Anne Martyn of Wellington, widdowe, existence in the howse of the Honourable Alexander Popham with her family, att the seige thereof by the belatedly Kinge'southward forces, sustayned greate losses of goodes and cattle, viz., several kine, one heifer, tenne young cattle, three calves, five colts, a mare and a horse, forty sheepe, 5 bedds with their furniture, bacon, butter, and cheese, wool, lynnen, corne of all sorts, pewter, brasse, and other moveable goodes, valued in all att the summe of ... hundred and threescore and fifteen poundes, besides the summe of twenty and 2 poundes in fix money; and that her eldest sonne was killed in the said howse past the said late Kynges forces. Signed Rich. Bouell, Alexander Popham, Edw. Popham, John Pyne."^[18]

Littlecote House, Berkshire [edit]

Littlecote House, due south front added by Sir John Popham after 1589. His armorials sculpted in stone survive above the front door

Popham acquired the reversion of the manor of Littlecote in Berkshire (today in Wiltshire) from William Darrell (1539–1589), MP, and post-obit the latter's death in 1589 duly became its owner. The historian John Aubrey (1626–1697) stated that Popham had acquired Littlecote as a bribe for having obtained a nolle prosequi in favour of the murderer William "Wild" Darrell,^[xix] which account Rice (2005) deemed "not accurate" and "A story of passion, murder and confusion".^[20] Popham expanded the house and added a south fly in cherry-red-brick, which structure survives today. His armorials survive above the s porch.^[21]

Following the destruction of Wellington House in the Ceremonious War, Littlecote became the chief seat of his descendants, the terminal of whom in the male person line was Francis Popham (died 1779), of Littlecote and Hunstrete, Somerset, who died childless. He bequeathed his estates to his wife Dorothy (née Hutton) who in turn left them to "Francis Popham, the reputed son of my tardily husband" just simply as a tenant for life. This illegitimate son died in 1804 when, under the terms of Dorothy's will, the estates reverted to her husband'south nephew Edward William Leyborne (born 1764), who in 1805 in accord with the terms of the heritance causeless by royal licence the additional surname and artillery of Popham. The Leyborne Popham family sold Littlecote in 1929 and moved to their other seat at Hunstrete Firm, Pensford, Somerset.^[22]

Death and burying [edit]

Popham died on 10 June 1607 at Wellington, Somerset. He was buried in the Church of St John the Baptist, Wellington, where his large free-standing monument survives.

Monument, Wellington Church [edit]

Monument to Sir John Popham in Wellington Church, viewed from due south

At the east end of the north aisle of St John the Baptist's Church in Wellington, survives the xviii-pes high monument with effigies of Sir John Popham and his family. As described by Collinson (died 1793) in 1791 it was situated in the south alley chapel, from which information technology has been moved to its present position, but retaining the aforementioned orientation. Collinson described the monument every bit follows:^[23]

"In the chapel on the south side of the church is a magnificent tomb, surrounded with a pallisado of woods and atomic number 26, on the tabular array of which prevarication the effigies of Sir John Popham, and that of his lady. He is dressed in his judges robes, concatenation, and small-scale square black cap; and placed with his head towards the west. On the lower basement, at the head and feet, are iv other smaller figures of two men and two women, kneeling face to face. On the north side of the aforementioned basement are five boys and eight girls, dressed in black, kneeling in a row. And on the south side are 9 women kneeling in the fame style. Over Sir John and his lady is a superb arched canopy, ornamented with the family unit artillery, roses, paintings, and obelisks; the whole supported by eight round columns of black marble, v feet high, with Corinthian capitals green and gilt".

The two male and female couples kneeling opposite each other separated past a prie-dieu, shown at each terminate of the monument, are believed to correspond his 34-year-old son Sir Francis Popham and the latter'due south wife (east-terminate) and his parents, represented every bit a centre-anile couple (west-cease). The ix female kneeling figures on the south side, all facing w, are believed to stand for Sir John Popham's six daughters with three ladies maids, the latter three figures kneeling behind the daughters and wearing manifestly not lace ruffs. The kneeling figures on the north side are believed to represent the five sons (facing westwards) and eight daughters (facing eastwards) of Sir Francis Popham, the son of Sir John Popham.^[24] Inscribed on a stone tablet on the west side of the entablature is the following text:

Sr John Popham Knighte and Lord Chief Justice of England and of the Honorable Privie Councell to Queene Elizabeth and later to Rex James, aged 76, died the tenth of June, 1607 and is here interred. ^[25]

Heraldry [edit]

Popham arms of 9 quarters, monument to Sir John Popham, Wellington Church

A heraldic escutcheon is shown on the north side of the monument to Sir John Popham in Wellington Church of 9 quarters every bit follows:

• ane: Argent, on a master gules 2 stag's heads cabossed or (Popham), with a crescent sable for difference
• 2: Sable, iii plates (Clark,^[26] for Joan Clark, married woman of Gilbert de Popham (died 1250) of Popham, Hampshire, and daughter of Robert Clark, feoffee of the manor of Popham.^[27] Co-ordinate to the Victoria County History of Hampshire (1908) Gilbert de Popham (died 1251) acquired Popham from "Thurstan the Clerk" by unknown means. An earlier Thurstan was clerk to William de Pont de l'Arche, and was manifestly the same Thurstan who was Sheriff of Hampshire in 1155 and who obtained confirmation from the Empress Maud of all his land of Popham which he had held at the death of Henry I^[28])
• 3: Gules, a pair of wings in lure argent overall a curve azure (Seymour? Reigny?)
• 4: Per pale azure and gules three lions rampant silvery (Herbert, Earl of Pembroke)
• 5: Silver, a fess between three martlets sable, with a crescent sable for divergence (Edmondes,^[29] for Agnes Edmondes, girl and heiress of William Edmondes and wife of William Popham (died 1464) of Huntworth)
• 6: Gules, on a bend argent 3 escallops sable (Knoell, Knolle, Knowles, etc., for Isabel Knolle daughter and heiress of Thomas Knolle^[30] and wife of John Popham (died 1536) of Huntworth, grandfather of Sir John Popham (died 1607), equally shown on the monument to Katherine Popham (died 1588), mother of Sir William Pole (died 1635), in Colyton Church, Devon.^[31]
• 7: Sable, three fishes palewise tails uppermost argent (Unknown family, apparently a Knolle heiress)
• 8: Silvery, a saltire gules betwixt four eagles displayed azure (Hampden, an heiress of Knolle, as shown on monument to Katherine Popham (died 1588), mother of Sir William Pole, in Colyton Church, Devon.^[31]
• nine: Per stake argent and gules overall a curve azure (?)

References [edit]

1. ^ ^{a b} History of Parliament
2. ^ Skinner, A. J. P., Armory on Pole Monument in Colyton Church, published in Devon Notes & Queries, Vol. 9, January. 1916 – Oct. 1917.
3. ^ Burke's, 1837.
4. ^ "Sir John Popham". North Petherton. Retrieved 24 Baronial 2011.
5. ^ Janes, Rowland (2003) Pensford, Publow and Woollard: A Topographical History. Biografix. ISBN 0-9545125-0-2.
6. ^ Grigg, Due east. (1792). Donations of Peter Blundell: Founder and Other Benefactors to the Costless Grammar School at Tiverton.
7. ^ An Inventory of the Aboriginal Monuments in Glamorgan, Book 3, Function 1b, Medieval Secular Monuments: The Later Castles from 1217 to the Present, published by Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, Landudno, 2000, pp. 468–471 [1]
8. ^ Clark, Yard. T., Arch. Camb., 1864, pp. 287–8, quoted in An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan.
9. ^ Ripe, river bank.
10. ^ Leland, Itinerary, section on Wales, quoted in An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan.
11. ^ Lewis, Breviat, p. 115, quoted in An Inventory of the Aboriginal Monuments in Glamorgan.
12. ^ Vivian, Lt.Col. J.50., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.165
13. ^ ^{a b} Hasler
14. ^ ^{a b} Burke, 1837, p. 198.
15. ^ Firth, Charles Harding, biography of Grenville, Richard (1600–1658), Lexicon of National Biography, 1885-1900, Book 23, (southward:Grenville, Richard (1600–1658) (DNB00)), quoting Clarendon (History of the Rebellion), vol. ix, pp. 13–fifteen.
16. ^ Historical MSS. Commission, Seventh Written report.
17. ^ Quoted from The Materials for the History of the Town of Wellington, Co. Somerset, pp. 87–eight [2]
18. ^ Farther reading: Seaby, Westward.A., Wellington House, the Elizabethan Mansion of Sir John Popham, Knight, Lord Master Justice, Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Gild, 1952 (booklet/offprint); originally published in: Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society Vol. XCVII, 1952, pp. 153–162.
19. ^ Hasler, History of Parliament.
20. ^ Rice, p. 83, with quote of Aubrey's text.
21. ^ Rice, p. 91; see epitome
22. ^ Burke's, 1937, p. 1831.
23. ^ Collinson, vol. 2, p. 483.
24. ^ Identifications per data sheet in church building, which all the same misidentifies the middle-aged homo kneeling at the westward-finish as Sir Francis Popham (in 1607 only 34 years sometime) rather than equally Alexander Popham, Sir John's father.
25. ^ Paradigm of Wellington monument at
26. ^ As follows Popham in quartered arms of Ernest Ayscoghe Floyer Sr. (1852–1903), per Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles, Armorial Families, 6th Edition, 1910, pp. 582–583 [3][4]. "Clark of Somersetshire", per Guillim's Display of Heraldry (Kent, Samuel, The Banner Display'd: or, An Abridgment of Guillim, Vol.2, London, 1728, p. 617 [v]
27. ^ Shush's, 1937, p. 1830.
28. ^ Victoria County History, Volume three: Hampshire, 1908, Parishes: Popham, pp. 397–399
29. ^ As arms for Francis Edmonds, MA, Young man of Winchester, shown in Hall of New College, Oxford, per Wood, Anthony, Appendix to History and Antiquities of the Colleges and Halls in the Academy of Oxford, 1790, p. 262 [6]
30. ^ Burke, 1837.
31. ^ ^{a b} Skinner, A. J. P., Devon Notes & Queries, Vol.IX, January 1916-Oct 1917.

Farther reading [edit]

• Popham, Frederick William (1976). A West State Family: The Pophams since 1150. privately printed.
• "Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery". Retrieved 5 August 2016.
• Rice, Douglas Walthew (2005). The Life And Achievements of Sir John Popham, 1531–1607. ISBN0-8386-4060-5. [7]
• Collinson, John, History and Antiquities of the County of Somerset, Vol.ii, Bath, 1791, pp. 196–201, full-blooded of Popham [viii]
• Hasler, P. W., biography of Popham, John (c. 1532 – 1607), of Wellington, Som., published in History of Parliament: House of Commons 1558–1603, ed. P.Due west. Hasler, 1981 [9]
• Burke, John, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland and Ireland, Vol.2, London, 1837, pp. 196–201, pedigree of Popham [ten]
• Shush's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 15th Edition, ed. Pirie-Gordon, H., London, 1937, pp. 1830–i, pedigree of Leyborne Popham of Hunstrete late of Littlecote

Legal offices
Preceded past Sir Christopher Wray	Lord Master Justice 1592–1607	Succeeded by Sir Thomas Fleming
Honorary titles
Preceded by Sir Amias Paulet	Custos Rotulorum of Somerset bef. 1594 – 1607	Succeeded by Sir Edward Phelips
Political offices
Preceded by Sir Robert Bell	Speaker of the House of Eatables 1580–1583	Succeeded past Sir John Puckering

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Popham_%28judge%29

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