John Hotchkiss

Personal and Family Information

John was born about 1485 in Shropshire, England, the son of Thomas Hotchkiss / Hoskins but his mother is unknown.

He died about 1541. The place is not known.

He had two marriages/partners. His first wife was Mary, who he married in ABT 1503. The place has not been found. Their only known child was John (c1504-c1585).

His second wife was Jane, who he married in ABT 1505. The place has not been found. Their seven known children were Richard (c1510-1586), Edith (c1516-?), Agnes (c1518-c1573), Jone (c1519-c1572), William (c1520-<1563), Andrew (c1521-<1585) and Randal (c1523-?).

Pedigree Chart (3 generations)

Events

Notes

Note 1

John Hotchkiss, son of Sir Thomas Hotchkiss , was pivotal in establishing the family's Somerset branch in the early 16th century. Motivated by family ties to Archdeacon David Hoskins of Exeter, John migrated from the ancestral region around Shropshire or the Welsh Marches toward southwestern England. Initially marrying Mary , who likely died shortly after childbirth, he remarried soon after to Jane , with whom he had additional children, including Richard Hotchkiss . By settling at Tickenham, Somerset, John not only extended his family's geographical reach but also created a lasting legacy, with his father, Sir Thomas, eventually joining him in Tickenham, reinforcing their influence in the region.

Research Notes and Observations:

- John’s burial is the earliest record of a Hotchkiss-related surname in the Tickenham parish registers, which began in 1538, strongly indicating he was the progenitor of this Somerset line.

- His death immediately precedes several marriages recorded in the same parish, likely involving his children—particularly daughters and possibly a son—who would have needed support or alliances following their father's passing, a common pattern observed after the death of family patriarchs in this era.

- Limited surviving records obscure definitive details of John's early life. His father is plausibly identified as Sir Thomas Hotchkiss. Although direct probate confirmation is unavailable—since John predeceased Sir Thomas and thus was not mentioned in the father's later will—the alignment of dates, geography, and familial patterns supports this identification strongly.

- John’s marriage and the early death of his first wife, Mary, fit well-established historical patterns of childbirth-related mortality and subsequent remarriage.

- Due to sparse documentation, John remains the only viable male ancestor identified in the immediate area to have fathered known local descendants such as Jone. The absence of earlier parish records for Tickenham limits definitive genealogical verification.

!Note: This is the only male listed in the area who could have been Jone’s father, but no other evidence. Nearby records start about 1443, but Tickenham only started in 1538. John’s burial was the first record with a Hotchkiss related name. It was immediately followed by a number of marriages, which I am going to guess were his now unsupported daughters and son.

!Note: There were only a limitted number of known men with even a remotely similar surname available as his possible father. Richard works well, and John would have died before his father and so not appeared in his will.

!Note: Died before father’s will.

!Source: Somerset Burial Index https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FSOMERSET%2FBUR%2F001720790

First name John

Page 70

Last name Hoskings

Archive Somerset Archives

Death year -

Archive reference D/P/TICK 2/1/1

Burial year 1541

Event type Baptisms, marriages & burials

Burial date 14 Nov 1541

Year range 1538-1812

Denomination Anglican

Record set Somerset Burial Index

Place Tickenham

Category Birth, Marriage & Death

County Somerset

Subcategory Parish Burials

Country England

Collections from England, Great Britain

Document type Parish records