Derbyshire 1400s and 1500s

There are clear signs that Derbyshire, and prior to the 14th Century maybe Shropshire are where the Robothams originated. Lancashire / Derbyshire / Shropshire changed boundaries during the period and that messes up the precision, but there are some specifics that offer pointers.

In 1458 John Robotham married into the Riber (Ribergh) family of Riber Hall near Matlock in Derbysire. He became the master of Riber Hall when he married Mary, and they had at least one daughter Margaret who subsequently married William Woolley, starting a long period of Woolley occupation at Riber Hall. We visited Riber Hall in 2008, it is now a high class hotel; a brief history is available on the hotel website and at the hotel. On the wall in the lounge where we had coffee is a framed copy of the Robotham family arms, which was a big surprise especially as they were not granted to Robert Robotham until 1560, 100 years after the Robotham period at Riber......

The area around Derbyshire, particularly Wirksworth, has a significant number of Robotham references. The most useful one is probably the following that links Hugh, Robert and James to Windlebotham and also introduces Robert Gee whose son Thomas is given a gold ring in Robert Robotham's will in 1571. The record is from the summary of the will of yet another Robert Robotham in Windlebotham in 1549, it references sons Alexander, Edmund and William, daughters Margaret and Maud and godchildren Robert Gee, Hugh Robotham and Robert Robotham. One of the appraisors was James Robotham. This could well be the family from which Robert and Hugh come, as well as James the book publisher? The link is strengthened by a record of Thomas Gee son of Robert Gee of Chapel in le Frith apprenticed to Roger Redferne haberdasher, attested before John Buck, warden October 12th 1st Edward vi (1547).

Other references around this time include 3 curates, Richard, Thomas and John all in the Derbyshire area at Wetton, Glossop and Heyfyeld. John is also recorded being ordained both priest and deacon on the same day by Bishop Downham in 1564. Heyfyeld - now Hayfield is perhaps particularly significant for the presence of many names - Gee, Ridgeway, Mellor in the local population whose names also appear in the 1571 will of Robert Robotham mentioned above. Heyfyeld is in a strategic location midway between Manchester and Sheffield on the slopes of Kinder Scout the highest point of the Peak District.

How this family ended up in London, Thame, Essex and Norfolk - if they indeed did, is still unclear. Some linkages may well come from connections with Sauvage who fought in Scotland