22. KIRKHAM-SOMORRON

Sampson Tree 

NICHOLAS KIRKMAN and ALICE DE SOMORRON (22)

 

There are two pedigrees of the Kirkham family, one in Vivian’s Herald’s Visitations of 1620[1], and another in Thomas Habington’s Survey of Worcestershire[2].

The Heralds Visitations has the succession passing from Sir Nicholas Kirkham who married Agatha Dennys to their son also Sir Nicholas Kirkham.

Habington inserts an extra generation, making Robert Kirkham the son of Nicholas and Agatha and the father of the younger Nicholas.
He has Robert married to Tomasin, daughter of Richard de Merton. 

ROBERT KIRKHAM. Habington places Robert Kirkham in the third year of the reign of Edward III, 1329-30.

THOMASIN MERTON. Habington has Robert’s wife as Thomasin, daughter of Richard de Merton.

There certainly was a Richard de Merton in Devon at that time. Sir William Pole lists Sir Richard Merton of Merton as one of the notable men in Devon in the reign of Edward II, and both Sir Richard Merton of Merton and his son Sir Richard Merton in the reign of Edward III.[3] No mention has been found elsewhere of a daughter Tomasin, but daughters are recorded less often than sons.

The village of Merton lies 5 miles SW of Great Torrington in North Devon.

Pole makes no mention of a Robert Kirkham in the reign of Edward III.

NICHOLAS KIRKHAM is thus either the son or the grandson of the first Nicholas Kirkham to live at Blagdon, near Paignton, and his wife the heiress Agatha Dennys.

Pole tells us that Nicholas Kirkham of Blagdon, Kt, was among the leading men in Devon in the reign of King Edward 2 (1307-27).

 

ALICE DE SOMORRON. The Heralds Visitations do not give us the name of Nicholas’s wife. Harbington names her as Alice, daughter of John de Somorron. No further information has been found about this family.

Thomas Habington (1560-1647) was a Catholic convert. He and his brother Edward took part in the plot to place Mary Queen of Scots on the throne, instead of Elizabeth I. Edward was executed, and Thomas was imprisoned in the Tower. After six years, he was permitted to retire to Worcestershire, where he devoted himself to antiquarian studies. He wrote the Survey of Worcestershire.
  He took no part in the Gunpowder Plot, intended to kill James I, the royal family, the peers and members of Parliament, but afterwards he gave refuge to the Jesuit provincial, Henry Garnett. When this was discovered, he was arrested for harbouring traitors. He was released on the intercession of Lord Monteagle. Tradition says that it was Thomas’s wife who wrote the letter to Monteagle warning him not to attend Parliament that day, which led to the discovery of the plot and the arrest of the conspirators. Though freed from prison, Thomas was forbidden to leave Worcestershire.
He included the Kirham family tree in his Survey because he was researching the Blount family of Worcestershire and found they were descended from the Kirkhams of Devon.

Neither Pole nor the Heralds Visitations is known for their accuracy. But it could be argued that Pole was in a better position to investigate a Devon family than Habington.

Still, Habington is quite specific about Robert Kirkham, giving an exact date – 3 Edw 3. The name Robert occurs several times elsewhere in the Kirkham pedigree, giving it added credence.

One possible explanation is the Robert Kirkham did indeed exist but was the younger brother of Nicholas Kirkham, rather than the father or son. He may not have been of sufficient note for Pole to have included him in his prominent men of Devon.

Their son and heir was yet another Nicholas Kirkham

The arms of the Kirkham family are found in St Nectan’s church in Blagdon. 

Kirkham of Blagdon; Argent, 3 lions rampant Geules, within a border ingrailed Sable.

 

[1] Tuckett, John. Devonshire Pedigrees. Recorded in the Heralds Visitations of 1620.
[2] Habington, Thomas, A Survey of Worcestershire. Handwritten c.1640, pub. Worcestershire Historical Society, 1899.
[3] Sir William Pole (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description  of the County of Devon,(1791)