Richard Hotchkiss / Hodgkins

Personal and Family Information

Richard was born about 1425 in Shropshire, England, the son of William Hotchkiss and Elizabeth of Donwich.

He died in 1506 in Antingham, Norfolk, England.

His wife is not known. They were married, but the date and place have not been found. Their four known children were John (c1454->1498), Richard (c1456-c1535), Nicholas (c1458-1492) and Simon (c1465-1525).

Pedigree Chart (3 generations)

Events

Notes

Note 1

!StyleName: Hotchkiss / Hodgkins, Richard, Acquirer of Holdings [~1425 - 1506]

!Note: Plus one Hotchkiss Branch.

Richard Hotchkiss , known as Richard of Antingham, was the second son of William of Ludlow , lord of the Hawkeswood estate in Shropshire. As was customary for younger sons in landed families, Richard appears to have received a substantial inheritance in movable wealth rather than central property. He settled in Antingham, Norfolk, where he and his son Simon likely managed the affairs and care of William in his old age. William died in Norfolk at the age of 95, suggesting he relocated there in his final years under their care. Richard of Antingham’s descendants later expanded holdings into Northamptonshire, marking the start of a new and influential branch of the Hotchkiss family line. It is likely he brought his father to Antingham to be near him and his son in his old age, but possibly also to remove him from the area where the Tudors may have been searching for his brother, Sir John.

When Richard died he left so many properties to his decendants that the series of probates lasted for at least 35 years. One after another many probates appeared naming each of his descendants multiple times for multiple properties. These clearly were not deaths. They were not adminitrators or witnesses. Each was an inheritance. This is why we call him “The acquirer.”

The Valor Ecclesiasticus, 1535, was the "Tudor Domesday" survey used to assess church wealth before the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Even though the Dissolution of the Monasteries comes later, 1536–1541, after Bosworth land was already being fragmented in use, being split into new holdings by life leases and such. The resulting movement of church lands may help explain how Richard was able to build such a wide spread of holdings. Pressure on families tied to earlier loyalties may help explain why Richard split his estate into so many separate pieces, left to different people.

!Note: Hodgekins Variant Line Emergence

The surname spelling Hodgekins appears to originate in Norfolk and nearby counties in the early 1500s, likely as a regional scribal adaptation of Hotchkiss. The use of Hodge as a familiar name in Norfolk may have led local clerks to record unfamiliar names phonetically, producing a soft “g” variant such as Hodgekins, Hodgkins, or Hodgeson. This pattern is consistent with the migration of Richard Hotchkiss and his descendants eastward, where multiple records show variant spellings appearing for the first time. The timing and geography suggest the Hodgekins name is not a separate origin, but a regional variant of the original Hotchkiss name, picked up by mny others .

!Note: Likely cared for his father in his old age.

!Source: The National Archives' catalogue https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5889775

C - Records created, acquired, and inherited by Chancery, and also of the Wardrobe, Royal Household, Exchequer and various commissions

Division within C - Records of the Chancery as a legal registry and repository

C 146 - Chancery: Ancient Deeds, Series C

Catalogue description Grant by Thomas Frenge, clerk, Richard Hogekynnes and Richard Cok to John Kedelham the...

Reference: C 146/5316

Description:

Grant by Thomas Frenge, clerk, Richard Hogekynnes and Richard Cok to John Kedelham the elder, Thomas Walyssh, Adam Clerk, John Wende and John Fayrcok of two pieces of land in a place called 'Akyrgate' in Thorp Market, situate as described, which they had with other land, by the gift of John Halle son of Richard Halle, formerly of Antyngham. Southreppes, 20 May, 24 Henry VI.

Note: Two seals

Date: 1446 May 20

Held by: The National Archives, Kew

Legal status: Public Record

Closure status: Open Document, Open Description

Note: Location Antingham, Norfolk - see St. Mary's Church, North Walsham near Thorpe Market, Norfolk. This record restricts the ages of his older brother and father. It helps explains his initial land acquisitions and final death location. Sir William Hawkins / Hankeford, King's Sergeant & Justice of the King's Bench [~1355- 1423 ] worked closely with Justice Robert Hill [~1358-?], who appears to be Richard Halles [~1387], previous owner of this land John Halle [~1405]’s father. Sir Williams 1st cousin once removed Thomasin Hawkins / Hankeford, 9th Baroness FitzWarin, of Bampton [~1423- ?] had as sister-in-law Eleanor Bourchier, , wife of John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk giving the family a strong link in Norfolk. In addition there was an old and well established Hakins line there. Thomas Hawkesworth of Saham Tony [~1390- ~1452] even lived in the county. All of this gives the family a strong link to Norfolk. One of the current granter’s, Richard Hogekynnes, is likely Richard Hotchkiss / Hodgkins, Acquirer of Holdings [~1425 - 1506].

!Source: The National Archives' catalogue https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4452014

WARD - Records of the Court of Wards and Liveries

WARD 2 - Court of Wards and Liveries: Deeds and Evidences

Catalogue description Grant by William Gounter, esquire, brother and heir of John Gounter, esquire, to William...

Reference: WARD 2/9/29A/6

Description:

Grant by William Gounter, esquire, brother and heir of John Gounter, esquire, to William Fissher, Kenelm Digas, Richard Harpur and Thomas Lovell, of all his lands and tenements, rents, reversion and services and appurtenances, formerly held by Robert Snokeshull and lately John Gounter, in Farlington and Frendstaple, Hampshire. Witnesses: John Pounde, Richard Hogekyns, William Westbrok, John Flete, John Novyngton and many others. Seal of William Gounter.

Date: 1480 Apr 1

Held by: The National Archives, Kew

Legal status: Public Record

Language: Latin

Closure status: Open Document, Open Description

Note: Richard’s father William had numerous Hampshire records. This just shows that Richard likely maintained the properties and relationships there.

!Source: The National Archives' catalogue https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/c325897f-4827-4d6d-ba3b-e8363175462b

153 - Norfolk Record Office

MC 49 - MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS

Catalogue description Agreement between Dame Anne Wyngfeld widow and Sir Edmund Bedyngfeld knight for sale to the latter of reversion after her death of the manor and advowson of East Harling, East Harling chantry, Harling woods in Old Buckenham, and messuage called Hoggekyns and Baudewyns in Bridgham.

Reference: MC 49/8, 503 x 1

Title: Agreement between Dame Anne Wyngfeld widow and Sir Edmund Bedyngfeld knight for sale to the latter of reversion after her death of the manor and advowson of East Harling, East Harling chantry, Harling woods in Old Buckenham, and messuage called Hoggekyns and Baudewyns in Bridgham.

Description:

Also stating that as he 'is nere kynnysman and next eyre of the blode of olde John Harlyng unto the seid Dame Anne' she gives him a similar reversion of the manor and advowson of Quidenham, 'the Dyke called Hasyldyke' and her other land in Quidenham and Banham, lands in Long Stratton and towns adjoining called Snapehall and Sturmyns, the manor of Long Stratton being already entailed on him. Reserving to Thomas Chambyrleyn lands in Quidenham, to the lords of the manor there drift and chace of cattle to and from the water and elsewhere, and providing that the tenants of the same manor should have 1 a. of copyhold meadow called Dam Medowe as long as they find a yearly obit for Dame Anne. James Hobart and Henry Spelman to engross. 14th June

Date: 1490

Held by: Norfolk Record Office, not available at The National Archives

Language: English

Physical description: 1 parchment

Note: Location Bridgham, Norfolk to Antingham 34.44 miles. Date 1490. Richard owned numerous properties in the area and actually appeared under Hogekynnes and other similar name variants.

!Source: Norfolk Wills & Probate https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=PRS%2FNORFWILLPROB%2F123400&tab=this

First name Richard

Document type Will

Last name Hodgkins Or Hogekyns

Archive reference ANF will register Liber 5 fo. 48

Title Hodgkins , Richard, of Antingham

View source website View source website

Year 1506

Record set Norfolk Wills & Probate

Date 1506

Category Birth, Marriage & Death

Residence Antingham

Subcategory Wills & Probate

County Norfolk

Collections from Great Britain, England

Country England

!Source: https://media.acny.uk/media/venues/page/attachment/2019/11/20191123_Antingham_St_Mary_History.pdf

1

The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Antingham

Brief Description

St Mary’s is described as a 14th century church, with 15th century and post medieval

architectural features. It was restored in 1864. The font dates to the 13th century.

Graffiti in the nave south doorway includes shields with armorial bearings and

possible travellers' crosses. During renovation work a 12th-century limestone coffin

slab was found.

History

In the Domesday Book, this village appears as Antigeham. The name is not derived

from the River Ant which flows nearby; rather does the, river take its name from the

village. This was the ham or home of Anta's people in Saxon times. It is clear that

there were at least two other manors in Antingham at this time

Blomefield's History of Norfolk traces the Lords of the Manors from before 1066.

There were two manors here and each had patronage of their church.

In Edward the Confessor’s time, and at the Domesday Survey, the Abbey of St

Benet at Hulme held a lordship in Antingham. This was known as St Benet’s or

Antingham Chamberlain’s manor. St Margaret’s formed part of this manor.

Following the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 St Margaret's Church received

no further help from St Benet's Abbey and went into decline. At the time of the

reformation St Margaret’s became part of the Parish of Ludham and was

2

subsequently consolidated with the parish of North Walsham. This consolidation

formally took place in 1748 , but had probably been in operation

much earlier, since in 1703 a faculty was granted 'to take down the old walls of the

ruined church of Antingham St Margaret provided the stones and other materials be

employed to no other use but to the repairing of the steeple and church of Antingham

St Mary and the churchyard walls there' . Thus St Margaret's

appears to have begun to fall into ruin before this date. St Margaret’s was finally

consolidated with Antingham St Mary in 2003.

The other manor was granted at the Conquest to Roger Bigod who acquired the

lordship over so many Norfolk manors at this time. A Norman family, de Antingham

was enfeoffed under Bigod and held the manorial rights until the fourteenth century.

It is recorded that Roger de Antingham, described as the King's valet, had free

warren here in 1321. He may well have been responsible for the building of St

Mary’s which was constructed between 1330 and 1360. The manor subsequently

became known as the Manor of Antingham, Witchingham and Wallishes.

There was clearly rivalry between the manors, reflecting no doubt the lawlessness of

the age, as the abbot of Holm in 1316 complained “that when he sent his fellow-

monk, Roger de Neatishead, to the hundred of North Erpingham on business, Roger

de Antyngham, with his brother Nicholas and others, assaulted the monk at

Southfield on his return, took him from place to place through the town-

fields, cut off the tail of his horse, and surrounded the manor of the abbot at

Antingham so that the men therein could not go forth to carry victuals to the abbey

for the sustenance of the abbot and convent or to do any other work; seized and

imprisoned a groom riding the abbot's palfrey through the town; impounded the

palfrey with its saddle and kept it without food; seized another horse of his on the

king's highway at North Walsham; harassed him at Antingham by taking his plough-

cattle, and in other ways, so that he has been unable to cultivate and sow his lands,

and have so threatened his men and servants of the town of Antingham that they

have fled away….