Richard Hotham

Sir Richard Hotham (5 October 1722 – 13 March 1799) was an English eighteenth century property developer and politician who rose from humble origins to a position of some power and influence. He is especially noted for his development of the Sussex village of Bognor into a seaside resort. He was also sometimes called Hotham the Hatter, to mark his original humble trade.

He was born the youngest of five children in York in October 1722, but otherwise very little is known about his childhood. Having moved to London to become a hatter's apprentice, in 1743, at the age of 21 he married Frances Atkinson, the daughter of his employer, in the chapel of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.

By 1746 he was trading as a hatter in his own right from premises in Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, a few years later moving to new premises in The Strand.

Frances died in 1760, and the next year, at the age of 39 he remarried, to Barbara Huddart. It was at this time he became involved with the East India Company, later working up to having a number of ships under his control – records at the British Library show him as 'Principal Managing Owner' of a number of vessels including the East Indiaman York. Also at this time he received his knighthood, at the relatively young age of 46.

Using the money he had made in this venture it was also at this time that he began his long association with property development, first buying land and buildings in Merton, South London, including a house for himself known as Merton Grove which has since been demolished being replaced by Victorian terraced houses including Balfour and Cecil Roads opposite South Wimbledon tube station. The house name was for many years remembered by the name of the Morden Road pub The Grove Hotel, which has in more recent years been acquired by Tesco as a Tesco Metro Supermarket.

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