People search
(married name will be ignored if broad check is ticked;
a broad check includes a search for nicknames, married names and other alternative names)Where were they from?
Search for places, see all people in the tree with events in that place, and (where added) see places marked on a map with photos, links and other information about the location.
Thomas GOTHAM
1622 - 1709 (~ 86 years)
Has 2 ancestors and 857 descendants in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
-
Name Thomas GOTHAM Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born - There aren't a lot of PR entries for Gothams in East Ogwell when the earliest surviving PRs start in 1674/5, and nearly all the entries can readily be associated with the family of this Thomas.
There are two marriages for which there is no ready evidence of a link, those of a Mary in 1679 and an Elizabeth in 1681; I am ** guessing ** that these are daughters of this Thomas from an earlier marriage and I estimated he was born c. 1626 based on this. (Without them I would estimate he was born circa 1635, from the date of marriage to Mary).
Hopefully the BTs will clarify.
I think it is likely that this Thomas is actually the one baptised in Wolborough in 1622. See research notes at bottom of this page for more information.
Baptised 6 Oct 1622 St. Mary the Virgin Church, Wolborough, Devon, England 
- From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 15 Nov 2014)
Thomas Gotham, son of Andrew
Gender Male Oath Between 1641 and 1642 Wolborough, Devon, England Protestation Return - transcription by A. J. Howard published in 1973, available in the DHC and published on the Devon Heritage website shows a Thomas GOTHAM took the oath in the parish of Newton Abbot and Wolborough; I think it must have been this Thomas.
The original listing is in the Houses of Parliament archive and images are online; the page with Andrew's signature can be viewed here.
His name is listed shortly before that of Andrew Gotham who I believe is his father, so it appears they may have gone to take the oath together.
Chancery Court case 1681 - TNA ref: C 10/496/3
Probably this Thomas - see notes at bottom of page considering this.
Will 1707 - DWP shows a Thomas of East Ogwell leaving a will proved in 1707
Buried 1700 or 1709 St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Ogwell, Devon, England - Two burials of a Thomas Gotham in the PRs, I don't know for certain which is this Thomas. I have found no evidence of another Thomas living in East Ogwell around this time, so possibly one was a son of this Thomas, who may have died as a youngish adult, unmarried and so leaving little, if any, evidence of his existence.
The will could be of either Thomas; if (as seems most likely) of this one then if the date is accurate this Thomas must be the one who died in 1700.
Siblings2 brothers and 3 sisters Half-siblings1 half sister (family of William JARMAN and Elizabeth ) Patriarch & Matriarch 
Andrew GOTHAM, b. Est 1585, (probably), Abbotskerswell, Devon, England, bur. 10 Mar 1673/74, St. Mary the Virgin Church, Wolborough, Devon, England (Age ~ 89 years) (Father) 
Elizabeth, b. Est 1590, bur. 17 Feb 1632/33, St. Mary the Virgin Church, Wolborough, Devon, England (Age ~ 43 years) (Mother) Notes - (Research):Was Thomas, the son of Andrew, the one who lived in East Ogwell?
I think he was:
- there is no further sign of Thomas in Wolborough after he signed the protestation oath in 1641/2
- no Gothams signed the oath in East Ogwell so it appears none was living there then (required of all males over 18, so at least none fitting that description)
- the Thomas baptised in Wolborough had a brother named Humphrey; Thomas of East Ogwell named at least one son Humphrey.
- In July 1663 a Humphrey Gotham was buried in East Ogwell (from BT entry). This could have been the father of Thomas, but I think this unlikely given that he is not recorded in the protestation oath. I suspect that the Humphrey buried in East Ogwell in 1663 was actually another son of Thomas, by an earlier marriage.
- the Thomas baptised in Wolborough also had a brother John, and Thomas of East Ogwell named his only other known son John.
Unfortunately there are BTs surviving for few of the years not covered by the surviving Parish Registers, which only survive from 1674. For these years, although the earliest is 1608, they only cover 5 years to 1635, and then 6 of the years 1663-1672. There are no Gotham events in the first five, but a number in 1663, 4 and 7.
All of these can be explained as the family of a Thomas born in Wolborough in 1622.
No records have been found of an Andrew in East Ogwell in the C17th apart from a list entry (in Fry) for admon. being granted in 1674. This fits neatly with a burial in Wolborough, the only one to fit the Andrew who was the father of the Thomas baptised there. Had Andrew in old age (almost certainly 80 plus) moved to live with his son's family in East Ogwell, possibly just in his final illness, but been buried in Wolborough (possibly to be buried with his wife)?
Although this seems to me a reasonable argument, sufficiently strong for me to link Thomas of East Ogwell as the one baptised in Wolborough, it must be borne in mind that there are few surviving records for East Ogwell that might show if Thomas had been born there. The PRs don't go back far enough, and the BTs cover only a few years.
Humphrey could have been used as a family Christian name for long enough for both Thomas and Andrew to both use the name, or just used due to the fame of Sir Humphrey Gilbert (who had lived close to these Gothams).
Besides the relatively poor survival of PRs and BTs, there are also no churwardens' and overseers' accounts and rates surviving from before 1866 (churchwardens') and the C20th (overseers').
Was Thomas of East Ogwell the same as the one described in 1681 as "Thomas Gotham now or late of Newton Bushell in the County of Devon Clothyer"?
I think so.
- the Newton Bushell PRs, which survive from 1653, have no entries for Gothams for this period, suggesting Thomas was not buried there, and had no children baptised there.
- As a clothier's son it is likely he would be a clothier.
- Although Thomas was a common name, especially amongst Gothams, the others known of, who were of a suitable age, do not seem likely - all less likely from place of baptism:
- - Thomas bap Staverton 1617;
- - Thomas bap 1626/7 in Littleham - but who was a mariner so can probably be ruled out for that reason;
- - Thomas bap 1628 Bishopsteignton, probably from a farming / fishing family.
Person ID I301502 All | All in the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study , All subjects of the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study Last Modified 10 Apr 2024
Father Andrew GOTHAM, b. Est 1585, (probably), Abbotskerswell, Devon, England , bur. 10 Mar 1673/74, St. Mary the Virgin Church, Wolborough, Devon, England (Age ~ 89 years) Mother Elizabeth, b. Est 1590, bur. 17 Feb 1632/33, St. Mary the Virgin Church, Wolborough, Devon, England (Age ~ 43 years)
Other Partners: William JARMAN m. Bef 16 Mar 1613/14Married Abt Feb 1615/16 - Date based on date of marriage licence.
The marriage is not in Abbotskerswell PRs. The PRs for Cockington only survive from 1632 and the BTs for 1615 and 1616 do not survive either.
Most likely the marriage took place in Cockington, or in Exeter when they went there to obtain a licence.
But, am I merging 2 Andrews?
There was a gap and change of place between Humfrey baptised in 1616 and Thomas in 1622. The two places are near each other, and I could be missing a baptism or two. Weight is added to the theory that the children were offspring of the same couple by the burial of an Elizabeth, wife of Andrew in Wolborough in 1632/3. I wondered if Andrew had had two wives both called Elizabeth, but there were a couple of Chancery Court cases involving the Andrew who married Elizabeth German/Jarman; looking at these confirms that Andrew's wife Elizabeth formerly Jarman who he had married in 1615/16 was still living in 1632 and that Andrew was then described as of Newton Abbot (i.e. was in Wolborough Parish), so it seems safe to conclude there was just one Andrew who fathered the children shown here and just one wife Elizabeth.
The earlier Chancery case, in 1618, does additionally refer to an Andrew and Margaret Gotham; I have not come across another mention of these, so they probably lived in a parish whose PRs do not survive from this time. There was an Andrew in Abbotskerswell at the time of the 1581 tax - was he the one who was married to Margaret?
Marriage License 12 Feb 1615/16 Exeter, Devon, England - Vivian shows a licence issued on 12 Feb 1615/16:
"Andrew Gotehman of Abbotskerswell and Eliza German of Cockington, widow"
Given that Andrew was of Abbotskerswell and the licence was about 10 months before the baptism of a first child of this couple I'm sure it must be for them, despite the mangled surname.
Family ID F300077 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 1 Elizabeth, b. Est 1625, bur. 2 Sep 1663, St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Ogwell, Devon, England (Age ~ 38 years) Married Est 1647 - Date estimated from the dob suggested by marriage licence allegation for the Andrew Gotham I am guessing was his son.
My estimates of dates of birth of the daughters I guess to be children of this marriage (* which marriage may not have even taken place! *) are a little later, in the 1650s, so they do not require an earlier date.
An Elizabeth Gotham was buried in East Ogwell on 2 Sep 1663, I suspect this was Thomas' 1st wife. A remarriage just a few months later was common, especially where a man had young children needing mothering.
A Humphrey was buried about 2 months before Elizabeth who I guess may have been a son of Thomas and Elizabeth; I know of no Humphrey for whom I do not have a burial.
However, this does present another possibility: was this Thomas the son not of Andrew but of Humphrey? Since there is no Humphrey signing the protestation oath I think it unlikely.
There were also burials of Thomases in East Ogwell in 1700 and 1709, neither shown as 'son of' though other children were at this time. I guess that one was the Thomas in this marriage, but who was the other?
There may well have been a child of this marriage named Thomas (or of Thomas's marriage to Mary Goswill - there are no BTs or PRs for years incl. 1668 and 1670).
Children6 children Last Modified 28 Nov 2022 Family ID F300784 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 2 Mary GOSWILL, b. Est 1638, bur. 13 Jun 1702, St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Ogwell, Devon, England (Age ~ 64 years) Married Jan 1663/64 St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Ogwell, Devon, England - From BTs (image on FamilySearch, viewed 3 May 2017)
Thomas and Mary may well have had other children besides the two shown here. Unfortunately the PRs only survive from 1674, and the BT survival is patchy: 1663, 1664, 1667, 1669, 1671, 1672.
In particular I suspect that the Matthew Gotham who had a family in Morchard Bishop was their son. Not only was it a name their son Humphrey gave to one of his sons (and it was not a particularly common name at the time) but Mathew of Morchard Bishop named his sons John, Thomas and Matthew. (see notes on Matthew's page for more about the evidence for this link)
Children3 children Last Modified 27 Apr 2021 Family ID F300509 Family Group Page | Family Chart
- There aren't a lot of PR entries for Gothams in East Ogwell when the earliest surviving PRs start in 1674/5, and nearly all the entries can readily be associated with the family of this Thomas.