21242–21243. John Popham, (Sir) was born in Huntworth, Somersetshire, England, about 1531, and died in Somerset, England, on June 10, 1607. Possibly his wife was Ann, daughter of Howel ap Adam of Castleton. Amy Games died in Somerset. They were both buried in Wellington in the chapel on the south side of the parish church. They were married in St. Tathan's, Glamorganshire, England. She took the name Amy Popham. She is the daughter of Robert Games. The order of their (at least) eight children is uncertain.
| i. | Francis Popham: He was Sir Francis Popham, knight. | |
| ii. | Katherine Popham [#10621]: She was born in—say—1540, and died in November, 1588. | |
| iii. | Penelope Popham: Her married name was Penelope Hannam. | |
| iv. | Elinor Popham: She married Roger Warre, Esq.. | |
| v. | Elizabeth Popham: She married Sir Richard Champernowne, knight. | |
| vi. | Katherine Popham: She married Edward Rogers. | |
| vii. | Mary Popham: She married Sir John Mallett of Enmore who was a Knight of the Bath (Knighted at the Coronation of James I) and High Sheriff of Somerset in 1601. | |
| viii. | Amy Popham: She married Thomas Horner of Mells, member of Parliament and Sheriff of Somersetshire. Their son, Sir John Horner, was knighted and was the "Little Jack Horner" of nursery rhymes. (See below.) |
The Dictionary of National Biography has a long and detailed entry on Sir John.
The NEHGR, vol. 44, p. 383, has:
Sir John Popham of Wellington, Somerset, Knight, chief justice of all Pleas, [will dated] 21 September 1604, proved 17 June 1608. Wife Amye. Son and heir Sir Francis Popham, knight, and his daughters. Sara Popham one of the daughters of Ferdinando Popham, my nephew, deceased. Amye Mallett the child of my daughter. My five daughters Penelope Hannam, Elinor Warre, Elizabeth Champernowne, Katherine Rogers and Mary Mallett. John Horner, my daughter Horner's son. George Rogers my godson. My trusty friends and cousins Edward Popham of Huntworth and James Clarke Esq. Grandchild Amye Pyne (separated from her husband). Sons in law John Mallett, Sir Richard Champernowne knight, Thomas Horner, Edward Rogers and Roger Warre Esq.Then follows Sententia, in which the executrix and relict is called Anna.
Windebancke, 58.[Sir John Popham, Knt., the testator, was a son of Alexander Popham. He was born in Huntworth, Somersetshire, 1531, and died June 10, 1607. A biographical sketch of him, by James P. Baxter, will be found in "Sir Ferdinando Gorges and his Province of Maine," edited by Mr. Baxter, and published by the Prince Society, vol. i, pp. 72–3. His elder brother, Edward, was the father of the preceding [will of] Capt. George Popham, and of Ferdinando Popham, who is named in the will. See Burke's History of the Commoners, vol. ii, pp. 196–201, and Visitation of Somersetshire, ubi supra.—Editor.]
Sir John Popham was the Lord Chief Justice of England.
In 1605, two Indians from America were brought to Devon, England by Captain George Waymouth and presented to John Popham.
In 1607, Chief Justice Popham and Sir Ferdinando Gorges attempted to found a colony in Maine; it failed.
By the 1600s, Hemyock castle and most of Hemyock belonged to Sir John Popham, who as Lord Chief Justice, sentenced Sir Walter Raleigh, Mary Queen of Scots, and Guy Fawkes to death. According to local legend, Sir John is reputed to have been rewarded for his controversial life by being thrown from his horse into Popham's Pit, a deep local bog, dying horribly.
Per the D.N.B., a portrait of Amy Games, by an unknown hand, belonged in 1866 to Mr. F. L. Popham.
The following was spontaneously contributed by Basil Lewis. It has been slightly reformatted from his original.
In the Harleian Society book number 11 The Visitation of the
Heralds to Somersetshire in 1620, the line of Chief Justice Popham is
given. This includes his lineage onwards. Starting at an unknown date:
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Little Jack Horner Sat in a corner Eating his Christmas pie. He stuck in his thumb And pulled out a plum And said, "What a good boy am I." |
Was there, in fact, a real Jack Horner? Yes, according to history. One Thomas Horner was dispatched by the Abbot of Glastonbury, during the dissolution of the monasteries, with a gift, known as a pie, for King Henry VIII of England. This pie contained the deeds to twelve manors owned by the monastery. Along the way, Thomas opened the pie, and purloined the deed to Mells. Mells was, indeed, acquired by the Horner family at that particular time in history, although they clain it was purchased legitimately. Mells has been retained by the Horner family through the centuries and Thomas' descendants live there to this day.
It continues (from recent to past):
[The author hopes to substantiate the above with more authentic sources.]
- Amy Popham, married Thomas Horner of Mells, member of Parliament and Sheriff of Somersetshire. Their son, Sir John Horner, was knighted and was the "Little Jack Horner" of nursery rhymes, with sarcastic reference to the family having obtained lands formerly held by the Abbot of Glastonbury. [Note: The is no attempt to reconcile the first statement, above, that Thomas Horner was the pie-toting thumbsticker with the current statement that it was his son, Sir John, who plumbed a plum.]
- Sir John Popham, 1531–1607 married Amy Games. Her father assisted in procuring the 1606 patents for the London and Plymouth Companies for the colonization of Virginia. [This family is the subject of this page.]
- Alexander Popham married Jane Stradling. [Presumably they had a son, John.]
- Sir Edward Stradling, died 1535, knighted by Henry VII, married Elizabeth Arundel, daughter of Sir Thomas Arundel, Knight of Bath and his wife Catherine Dynham.