Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet

Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet, of Scorborough (circa July 1589 – 3 January 1645) was an English politician and Member of Parliament, who was governor of Hull in 1642 shortly before the start of the English Civil War. He refused to allow Charles I of England or any member of his entourage to enter the town, thereby depriving the King access to the large arsenal contained within. Later in the Civil war he and his son, John Hotham the younger, were accused of treachery, found guilty and executed.

Hotham, born probably in July 1589 belonged to a Yorkshire family. His father was John Hotham (1540-1609), MP for Scorborough, where the family lived, in 1584. His mother has been variously given as Julian, the daughter of Sir Michael Stanhope of Shelford, Nottinghamshire or as Jane, daughter of Richard Legard of Rysome, Yorkshire.

Sir John Hotham fought on the continent of Europe during the early part of the Thirty Years' War.

In 1622 he was made a baronet. He was Member of Parliament for Beverley in the five parliaments between 1625 and 1640, and High Sheriff of Yorkshire 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 the parliament to seize 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 Charles I to the town. Later he promised his prisoner, Lord Digby, that he would surrender the town to the king, but when Charles appeared again he refused a second time and drove away the besiegers.

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