HOLTON, Gregory (by 1508-65/71), of New Romney, Kent.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558, ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

Nov. 1554

Family and Education

b. by 1508, prob. s. of Henry Holton of Essex. m. 2da.2

Offices Held

Chamberlain, New Romney 1537-8, bailiff 1553-4, jurat by 1556-d.3

Biography

Gregory Holton, born at Romney, was admitted to the freedom of the Cinque Ports on 22 Nov. 1529. He was probably the son of Henry Holton of Essex who had been made a freeman of Romney on 29 Sept. 1508. He first attended the Brotherhood of the Cinque Ports, as a commoner, in 1535 and was present as one of the delegation from Romney on ten occasions during the next 30 years.4

Holton was concerned with parliamentary matters before he became a Member. In 1536 he was sent to Dover castle with the names of the en elected by Romney, and when he was bailiff in 1553 he rode round to Hythe, Dover and Sandwich to discover if they had paid or would pay wages to their Members, who had been elected to the Parliament of March 1553 after interference by the lord warden Sir Thomas Cheyne. In the following August Holton infringed Cheyne’s jurisdiction by seizing and selling salt from a ship from the Baltic which had come in to Romney, on the ground that he did not know who was then warden. The ports may have hoped for a change at the accession of Mary, but Cheyne remained and in the Parliament of November 1554 each of them had to accept one of his nominees: at Romney, however, Holton was the choice of the town, not of the warden. He was paid wages of 2s. a day for 70 days of attendance, and as he was not among the Members who had withdrawn without leave before the dissolution he had probably earned this sum by being present throughout.5

When New Romney received its charter of incorporation in 1563 Holton was one of six jurats appointed to continue as jurats for life. He attended the Brotherhood of the Cinque Ports for the last time in July 1565 but probably lived for several more years as the will which he had made on 25 Aug. 1559 was not proved until 5 Jan. 1571. He left his house and garden in New Romney to his daughter Alice Beadell. She and her husband were the executors.6

Ref Volumes: 1509-1558

Author: Helen Miller

Notes

  • 1. The schedule, evidently in error, gives George Holton, C219/23/184.
  • 2. Date of birth estimated from admission as freeman. Canterbury prob. reg. C31, f. 385.
  • 3. Romney assessment bk. 1516-22, f. 126; Cinque Ports White and Black Bks. (Kent Arch. Soc. recs. br. xix), 221, 248, 253.
  • 4. Romney assessment bk. 1448-1526, f. 116v; 1516-22, f. 70; Cinque Ports White and Black Bks. 219-68 passim.
  • 5. Romney chamberlains’ accts. 1528-80, ff. 29, 82v, 87, 93, 96, 101; assessment bk. 1516-22, f. 126.
  • 6. CPR, 1560-3, p. 499; Cinque Ports White and Black Bks. 268; Canterbury prob. reg. C31, f. 385.