(302) Babington of Dethick and Rothley Temple

Babington of Rothley & Cossington

The Babington family are said to have originated at Bavington in Northumberland, where several generations of the family are recorded in the 13th century. In the 14th century they moved south, initially to East Bridgeford (Notts), which was home to Sir John Babington (d. 1409), a knight in the service of King Henry IV. His eldest son, Thomas (c.1390-1467), sold his patrimony at East Bridgeford to his brother William and joined the English army in France, where he fought at Agincourt. When he returned to England, he married Isabel Dethick, heir to her father's manor of Dethick (Derbys), which remained the property of their descendants until the 17th century. Isabel died young in 1435, having presented Thomas with a couple of sons. The elder, later knighted as Sir John Babington (d. 1485), followed in his father's footsteps into military service, and took the Yorkist side in the Wars of the Roses. He fought at Barnet in 1471 and Bosworth in 1485, where he was killed, apparently by one of his own side who mistook him for an opponent. The younger brother, William Babington (d. 1453), exemplified the other, more clerkly, tendency which is apparent in the family, rising through a career as an academic lawyer at Oxford to become the mitred abbot of the great Benedictine abbey at Bury St. Edmunds, travelling twice to Rome, and there being employed as the agent of King Henry VI.

Sir John, like his father, had two sons, but also six daughters, who were all married into Midlands gentry families; again, this became a pattern through the generations, with the result that the Babingtons became closely allied to many of the Midlands gentry through multiple ties of kinship. Both Sir John's sons belonged to the clerkly tendency in the family: Thomas (d. 1519), the elder, went to the Inner Temple and became a career lawyer and judge; the younger, Henry (d. 1507), took the academic route and became a clergyman and a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge. In 1500 the served for a year as Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University before resigning his fellowship for a comfortable canonry at Salisbury. He was also employed by Henry VII as an ambassador to Scotland.

Thomas Babington (d. 1519) had an exceptionally large family, with nine sons and six daughters. His second son, Sir John Babington (d. by 1533), became a leading figure in the Knights Hospitaller, and it was no doubt through him that several members of the family acquired positions with the order or rented estates from them. Sir John's elder brother, Sir Anthony Babington (c.1475-1536), acted as steward to the prior of the order, and Humfrey Babington (d. 1544), acquired a lease of the preceptory at Rothley Temple, which the knights seem to have abandoned for a new base at Old Dalby. This was the start of a cadet branch of the family which ultimately became more important and much longer lasting.

The main branch of the family continued at Dethick, passing from Sir Anthony to his son, Thomas (d. 1561) and grandson Henry (1530-71). Henry Babington died relatively young and his surviving children were all minors. The heir was his son Anthony Babington, aged ten, who soon became a page in the household of the Earl of Shrewsbury. This was a common way of ensuring that young men who had lost their fathers were brought up as gentlemen and made friends who could be useful to them. Unfortunately in Anthony's case it was a disaster. Mary Queen of Scots was being held prisoner in the Earl's household at the time, and Anthony was one of those assigned to wait on her. An impressionable youth, he became devoted to the Queen and to the cause of restoring a Catholic monarchy, and as a result a few years later he was easily drawn into a plot (known to history as the Babington Plot but orchestrated by Catholic powers on the continent), to assassinate Queen Elizabeth and place Mary Queen of Scots on the English throne in her stead. The plot was discovered by Elizabeth's highly efficient network of spies when Babington wrote to Mary Queen of Scots seeking her sanction for the project.

Execution of Mary Queen of Scots in 1587, from a painting of 1613.

In 1586, Babington and his co-conspirators were arrested, tried, and brutally executed, and the plot also provided the evidence Mary's enemies needed to persuade Queen Elizabeth of her treason and to reluctantly approve her execution, carried out the following year.

The Dethick estate passed on Anthony's death to his brother Francis (d. 1618), who has left a reputation as a spendthrift who diminished his patrimony. He had no children, perhaps because within a few years of his marriage his wife had an adulterous affair with a member of their household which was played out in the courts, although it does not seem to have ended their marriage. When he died, what was left of the family estate passed to his brother George, who sold it in about 1624 to Wendesley Blackwall (d. 1634): thus the Dethick branch of the family ceased to be landed gentry.

As we have seen, Humfrey Babington (d. 1544) acquired a lease of the Rothley Temple estate from the Knights Hospitaller in 1529, and this was renewed by the Crown after the preceptory was suppressed in 1540. His son Thomas (d. 1567) was mixed up in the attempt to place Lady Jane Grey on the English throne in 1553, and was lucky to escape with a royal pardon in return for a large fine. His brother, the Rev. Francis Babington (d. 1569?) was less fortunate. After apparently blowing with the changing religious winds through the reigns of King Edward VI and Queen Mary, he enjoyed a meteoric career at Oxford in the early years of Queen Elizabeth's reign, which saw him combining the roles of chaplain to the Earl of Leicester, Rector of Lincoln College, Professor of Divinity and Vice-Chancellor. However, by 1563 he was detected as a closet Papist, and obliged to resign all his church livings and university appointments; he hung around in Oxford for a year, no doubt hoping for a change of fortune, but then went abroad, where he died about 1569.

Thomas, meanwhile, had bought the Cossington estate adjoining Rothley in 1549 and acquired the freehold of Rothley from Crown in 1565, but at his death he divided the two estates between his eldest sons, with Humfrey (1544-1610) inheriting Rothley, and Matthew (c.1545-1616), Cossington. Humfrey was perhaps responsible for building a new house at Rothley to replace the old preceptory buildings, keeping only the chapel from the old building. Matthew married four times but had no children, so when he died in 1616 he left his property back to Humfrey's son and heir, Thomas Babington (1575-1645). Thomas and his eldest surviving son, Matthew Babington (1612-69), moved in strongly Royalist circles, although they seem to have avoided military engagement during the Civil War. Thomas' youngest son, Thomas Babington (1615-80) was, however, both less prudent, and of a different persuasion. He became a Captain in the Parliamentarian army, and during the Commonwealth may have been able to afford his brother a measure of protection. Certainly at the Restoration, when their positions were reversed, Matthew not only secured a pardon for his brother for his military role in the Civil War, but even got him a majority in the king's army. Thomas eventually acquired a property at Somersham (Hunts) and married a daughter of Sir Cornelius Vermuyden, the Dutch engineer who did so much to forward the draining of the Fens.

Matthew died less than a decade after the Restoration, and was succeeded by his son, Thomas Babington (c.1635-1708), who eventually also inherited his uncle's property at Somersham. He was trained as a lawyer and was very active in local administration. He seems to have had the knack, possessed by several of his ancestors, of navigating abrupt changes in the political climate, although the fact that his career peaked in the brief reign of James II suggests that his real beliefs may have been High Tory, if not Jacobite. He was probably responsible for remodelling the house at Rothley to bring it up to date, and he was succeeded by his son, Thomas (1682-1745), who certainly laid out formal gardens around the house. Another Thomas (1715-76) followed as owner of Rothley and Cossington. He married the daughter of the rector of Hinckley and they produced a remarkable family. All three of his younger sons became clergymen, although one of them abandoned this calling and retrained as a physician. The only daughter married the philosopher and moralist, Thomas Gisborne (1758-1846), who was a contemporary, friend, and fellow-member of the Clapham sect with the eldest son, Thomas Babington (1758-1837), who was clearly the most remarkable of the lot, and who married a Scottish lady who matched his intellect (her brother was the father of Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-59), 1st Baron Macaulay, who was in fact born at Rothley Temple). His portrait could not more clearly communicate his intelligence and humanity, and he was a mentor and adviser to William Wilberforce, whose passion for the abolition of slavery he shared. In addition to his many public roles, he improved the estate and carried out many schemes for the benefit of his cottage tenants. Ultimately, however, the many calls on his attention perhaps contributed to the large financial losses which he sustained as a partner in the Leicester Bank, and he was seriously financially embarrassed at his death in 1837.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, Thomas Gisborne Babington (1788-1871), who quickly concluded that he needed to sell the Rothley estate in order to clear his debts; a sale to his brother in law, Sir James Parker, went through in 1845. He did, however, retain Cossington, but as there was no suitable residence there for him, he moved to Lichfield, where he lived for the rest of his life. His brother, John, was rector of Cossington from 1820-59, and for a time provided a continuing family presence in the parish, but after he retired the ties between the family and their estate gradually weakened and parts of the property were gradually sold off. T.G. Babington married twice and had children by both wives, those of his second marriage being a full generation younger than their half-siblings. When he died, the estate went first to the only surviving son of his first marriage, Rev. Thomas Arthur Babington (1820-96), rector of Wanlip, who married but produced no sons. On his death, therefore, the property passed to his half-brother, Rev. John Albert Babington (1843-1931), who was ordained but employed as a schoolmaster at Marlborough, Lincoln and Tonbridge until he retired in 1903, when he became vicar of Tenterden in Kent. His elder son, Percy Lancelot Babington (1877-1950), who never married and - judging by his interest in Uranian authors - may have been gay, spent most of his life as an extra-mural lecturer or literary topics in Cambridge. He appears to have inherited what was left of the Cossington estate, but it was sold off either during his lifetime or after he died in 1951. His sister, Margaret Agnes Babington (1878-1958), who was also unmarried, lived in the Cathedral close at Canterbury and was awarded the OBE for her work in setting up the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral.

Dethick Manor, Derbyshire

Almost nothing is known of the once impressive house built by the Dethick family and perhaps remodelled or rebuilt by the Babingtons. It was, however, clearly a large building: an inventory taken in 1560 shows that it was built around at least one courtyard and mentions no less than forty-two rooms. The house had been abandoned by the mid 17th century, when it was being used as a stone quarry by local people, and by 1790 it was 'a thing of the past', although a gateway set in an outer courtyard wall remained intact in 1812. 

Dethick Manor Farm: the house apparently incorporates some elements of the original manor house. Image: Trip Advisor.

All that survives today is a barn, probably of the 16th century, that now forms part of Church Farm, and which has massive angle buttresses and at least three blocked doorways. Further components of the house are probably built into the farmhouse of Manor Farm, which has some 16th century features.

Descent: Robert Dethick (d. 1403); to daughter, Isabel, wife of Thomas Babington (c.1390-1467); to son, Sir John Babington (d. 1485); to son, Thomas Babington (d. 1519); to son, Anthony Babington (c.1475-1536); to son, Thomas Babington (c.1500-61); to son, Henry Babington (1530-71); to son, Anthony Babington (1561-86); to brother Francis Babington (d. 1618); to brother George Babington (fl. 1624), who sold c.1624 to Wendesley Blackwall (d. 1634); to son or grandson, who sold c.1654 to Nathaniel Hallowes...

Rothley Temple, Leicestershire

The Knights Templar were granted an estate at Rothley in 1203, and were given the manor by King Henry III in 1231, after which they founded a preceptory here; the property passed to the Knights Hospitallers in 1312, when the Templars were suppressed. Although the Templars conformed to the Cistercian rule, their preceptories consisted of only one or two knights, with a supporting staff of stewards, chaplains, squires and pages, and seem to have been physically more like a secular manor house than a traditional monastic establishment. 

Rothley Temple: an engraving published in Nichols' History of Leicestershire in 1804.

Rothley Temple: entrance front

The principal (and rare) survival from the Templar period is the chapel, probably of the mid 13th century, and linked to the later house by a two-storey building with a vaulted ground floor. The chapel itself is long and high, with tall lancet windows set high in the walls, and a hybrid-queenpost roof which is apparently original in form, although it has been restored later.

Rothley Temple: the chapel. Image: Trip Advisor.

Thomas Babington (d. 1567) acquired a lease of the estate from the Hospitallers in 1529 and the freehold from the Crown in 1565. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Humfrey Babington (1544-1610), and either Humfrey or his son, Thomas Babington (1575-1645) was probably responsible for building the five bay centre and three-bay gabled wings of the present house in the late 16th or early 17th century. A few buttresses and renewed lancet windows remain to show that it incorporates the earlier structure. In 1742, the south-east gable and chimney were rebuilt, as a date on the building records. The engraving of the house above shows that the original fenestration was replaced by 17th century cross-windows and dormers, and that only after 1800 were the present sash windows installed. The right-hand gable was probably rebuilt at the same time to make the front symmetrical. A formal garden had been laid out around the house by 1729, but in 1782 William Emes made a plan for landscaping the estate for Thomas Babington (1758-1837), which a survey plan of 1819 confirms was largely executed. Rothley is outside the main area of Emes' practice, and he probably came to Babington's attention through his friend and brother-in-law, Thomas Gisborne of Yoxhall Lodge (Staffs).

Rothley Temple: south wing, as enlarged in 1894-95 by John Ely.

In 1894-95, Frederick Merttens asked John Ely of Manchester to remodel the south wing of the house and extend it to the west to create a new billiard room. Ely's work is in the neo-Elizabethan and Queen Anne styles, and he also remodelled the interior, which has heavy Jacobethan woodwork and chimneypieces.

Rothley Temple: staircase

Earlier survivals appear to include the early 18th century staircase, which has two turned balusters per tread and a ramped handrail, and reused panelling of c.1700 in two upstairs bedrooms: one room has pilasters flanking the fireplace, and the other a decorated overmantel. The house has been an hotel since 1959, under the name Rothley Court Hotel, and has been much altered and refitted internally.

Descent: Knights Hospitaller leased 1529 to Thomas Babington (d. 1567), who acquired the freehold from the Crown, 1565; to son, Humfrey Babington (1544-1610); to son, Thomas Babington (1575-1645); to son, Matthew Babington (1612-69); to son, Thomas Babington (c.1635-1708); to son, Thomas Babington (1682-1745); to son, Thomas Babington (1715-76); to son, Thomas Babington MP (1758-1837); to son, Thomas Gisborne Babington (1788-1871), who sold 1845 to Sir James Parker (d. 1852), kt.; to son, Harry Rainy Parker (1837-1912), who sold 1893 to Frederick Merttens (1849-1935) of Manchester, who leased it from 1912 to Ernest Henry Broadhurst (fl. 1912-49); to sons, who continued the lease to Broadhurst to 1949 and then let it to Mrs. Ward, who operated a nursing home here; sold 1957 to Clive Wormleighton, who opened it as an hotel in 1959. 

Babington family of Dethick

Babington, Thomas (c.1390-1467). Eldest son of Sir John Babington (d. 1409) and his wife Benedicta, daughter and heir of Simon Ward of Cambridgeshire, born about 1390. As a young man he sold his patrimony at East Bridgford (Notts) to his brother, Sir William Babington, kt., and served with the English army in France: a sword and bow which he reputedly bore at the Battle of Agincourt were still held by the family in the late 18th century. Escheator for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, 1432-33, 1437-38, 1445-46 and 1452-53; MP for Derbyshire, 1445. He married Isabel (d. 1435), daughter and sole heiress of Robert Dethick of Dethick (Derbys), and had issue:
(1) Sir John Babington (d. 1485) (q.v.);
(2) Rt. Rev. William Babington (d. 1453); a monk of Bury St. Edmunds; educated at Gloucester College, Oxford (DCL); sent to Rome to obtain papal confirmation and amplification of the privileges of the abbey, 1529-31; a canon lawyer at Oxford (principal of the school of canon law, 1443-46); abbot of Bury St Edmunds, 1446-53; president of the general chapter of the Benedictine order in England by 1449 and proctor for King Henry VI at the papal curia; died in the autumn of 1453.
He purchased the manor of Kingston (Notts) after his return from France, and inherited the manor of Dethick in right of his wife.
He died 4 January 1466/7 and was buried at Ashover (Derbys). His wife died in 1435.

Babington, Sir John (d. 1485). Elder son of Thomas Babington (c.1390-1467) of Dethick (Derbys) and his wife Isabel, daughter and heiress of Robert Dethick of Dethick. High Sheriff of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, 1479-80. Knighted: possibly the Babyngton made a Knight of the Bath in 1483. He fought for King Edward IV at the Battle of Barnet, 1471, and for King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, 1485, where he was killed by mistake by Sir Thomas Blount, kt., Provost Marshal. He married 1st, Isabel (d. 1456), daughter and heir of Henry Bradbourne of the Hough (Derbys) and widow of Thomas Rolleston of Rolleston (Staffs), and 2nd*, Elizabeth [surname unknown], and had issue:
(1.1) Thomas Babington (d. 1519) (q.v.);
(1.2) Beatrice Babington; married Ralph de la Pole (fl. 1497) of Wakebridge in Crich (Derbys) and had issue two sons; 
(1.3) Anne Babington; married James Rolleston (fl. 1518) of The Lea, Ashover (Derbys), and had issue four sons and nine daughters;
(1.4) Elizabeth Babington; married Ralph Francis (fl. 1506) of Foremark (Derbys) and had issue one son;
(1.5) Margaret Babington; married, as his first wife, Edmund Pilkington (fl. 1460-1507) of Staunton (Derbys), and had issue three sons and one daughter;
(1.6) Isabel Babington; married John Russell of Radcliffe (Notts) and had issue one son;
(1.7) Cecily Babington; married, before 1493, Thomas Salmon of Annesley Woodhouse (Notts);
(1.8) Rev. Henry Babington (d. 1507); educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge (BA 1478; MA 1482; BD 1492; DD 1496); Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, 1481-1501; Proctor, 1485-86; Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, 1500-01; rector of Clifton (Beds), 1490-98 and Adstock (Bucks), 1491-1504; warden of Babington chantry at Clayworth (Notts), 1493; canon of Salisbury, 1497-1507; employed by King Henry VII as an Ambassador to Scotland, 1502; died 1507, when his canonry at Salisbury was vacated.
He lived at Dethick (Derbys) and was also lord of the manor of Kingston (Notts).
He was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field, 1485 and was probably buried at Kingston. His first wife died 18 March 1456 and was buried at Kingston where she was commemorated by a monument. His widow's date of death is unknown.
* The second wife Elizabeth has not previously been recorded, but with her husband Sir John was a party to a deed of 1485 in the Derbyshire Record Office [D37/MR/T/3]; they may have been married only shortly before his death.

Thomas Babington (d. 1519)

Babington, Thomas (d. 1519). Eldest son of Sir John Babington (d. 1485) of Dethick and his first wife Isabel, daughter and heir of Henry Bradbourne of the Hough (Derbys). Educated at the Inner Temple (bencher; governor, 1507-08, 1510-11) and Peterhouse, Cambridge (to which he made a gift of plate in 1510). JP for Derbyshire, 1483-1519; High Sheriff of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, 1497-98; Recorder of Nottingham, 1493-1519; MP for Nottingham, 1495, 1504. Deputy Steward of High Peak (Derbys) for Duchy of Lancaster from 1497 and of Tutbury from 1500; Justice of Gaol Delivery at Nottingham, 1514. He married 1st*, Edith, daughter of Ralph Fitzherbert of Norbury (Derbys), and 2nd, Margery [surname unknown]:
(1.1) Sir Anthony Babington (c.1475-1536), kt. (q.v.);
(1.2) Sir John Babington (d. by 1533); Knight Hospitaller; admitted to Inner Temple at the instigation of his elder brother, 1519; preceptor of Yeaveley & Barrow, 1509, and at Temple Bruer (Lincs), 1522; commander of the Preceptories of Dalby and Rothley and treasurer of St John in England by 1526; appointed prior of the Knights of St John in Ireland, 1527/8, but soon exchanged for the post of Turcopolier (second-in-command) of the order in England; resigned 1531 and retired to the post of bailiff of Eagle (Lincs); dead by 1533;
(1.3) Rev. Ralph Babington (c.1480-1521), born about 1480; educated at St William Hostel, Cambridge (admitted c.1497; BA 1503; BCL 1508/9); rector of Hintlesham (Suffk), 1507-15, Althorp (Lincs), 1512-21 and Hickling (Notts), 1515-21, during which time he restored the rectory and 'built many new structures' according to his monument; died 29 August 1521 and was buried in the chancel of Hickling church, where he is commemorated by a brass;
(1.4) Sir Roland Babington (d. 1524?), kt.; educated at Inner Temple; barrister-at-law; filazer of common pleas, 1506; attorney of common pleas by 1510; attorney in Requests, 1518 and in Duchy Chamber, 1520; married Jane Ridge of Kinver (Staffs) and had issue three sons and one daughter; perhaps died 1524, when his chamber in the Inner Temple became vacant [he was not, I think, the Roland Babington who was buried at Derby in 1548];
(1.5) Humfrey Babington (d. 1544) [for whom see below, Babington of Rothley Temple and Cossington];
(1.6) Rev. Thomas Babington (d. 1511); educated at Cambridge (BA 1509/10); rector of Yelvertoft (Northants), 1510-11; died at Cambridge, 1511;

(1.7) William Babington (d. 1536) of Wednesbury (Staffs); married Jane or Joan (d. before 1545), eldest daughter and co-heiress of John Beaumont of Wednesbury, and had issue one son; died 1536;

(1.8) Robert Babington; died in The Temple, London, and was buried there;

(1.9) George Babington; died young;

(1.10) Elizabeth Babington; died young;

(1.11) Anne Babington (d. 1538); married 1st, George Leche alias Leake (d. 1505) of Chatsworth (Derbys) and had issue; married 2nd, Roger Greenhalgh (d. 1562) of Teversall (Notts); died 19 June 1538;

(1.12) Dorothy Babington (d. 1530); married Roger Rolleston (who was her father's ward) of Swarkestone (Derbys) and had issue five sons and three daughters; died 18 January 1529/30 and was buried at Temple Bruer (Lincs);

(1.13) Catharine Babington (d. 1517); married George Chaworth (d. 1521) of Wiveton (Notts); died 12 or 15 October 1517 and was buried at Langar (Notts) where she is commemorated by a monument;

(1.14) Jane Babington; married, by 1514, George Meverell (who was her father's ward) of Throwley (Staffs), and had issue two sons and three daughters;

(1.15) Elizabeth Babington; married, c.1508-09, Philip Okeover (d. 1536) of Okeover (Staffs), second son of Humphrey Okeover of Okeover, and had issue three sons and one daughter.

He inherited Dethick and Kingston from his father in 1485 and leased property in Derbyshire belonging to the Knights Hospitaller from 1504.
He died 13 March 1518/9 and was buried at Ashover (Derbys), where he is commemorated by an alabaster tomb-chest with effigies by Harper & Moorecock, described by Pevsner as the finest monument of its period in the county. By his will, proved in PCC 20 June 1519, he endowed an exhibition for poor scholars at Oxford and Cambridge. His first wife was buried at Ashover, but her date of death is unknown. His second wife's date of death is unknown.
* Most sources give the two wives in the reverse order, but Thomas' will mentions his wives Edith and Margery in that order.

Babington, Sir Anthony (c.1475-1536). Eldest son of Thomas Babington (d. 1519) of Dethick and his first wife, Edith, daughter of Ralph Fitzherbert of Norbury (Derbys), born about 1475. Educated at the Inner Temple (probably admitted 1496; pensioner, 1506-07; autumn reader, 1513; treasurer, 1520-21; governor, 1521-36). JP for Nottinghamshire, 1511-36, Leicestershire, 1515-36 and Derbyshire, 1520-36; Recorder of Nottingham, 1525-36; MP for Nottingham, 1529-36; High Sheriff of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, 1533-34. Steward to the prior of the Order of the Knights of St. John, 1533. He was knighted in 1529 and was a Knight of the Body to King Henry VIII by 1533. Deputy Steward of Tutbury for the Duchy of Lancaster, 1533, and was appointed as steward for properties in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire by several priories, c.1533. In 1530-32 he paid for building the tower of Dethick church and he left money in his will for the construction of a chantry chapel, which was under construction in 1537; but he took part in the suppression of Colwich Priory (Staffs) in 1536. He married 1st, 1497/8 (settlement 20 March) Elizabeth (d. 1505), daughter of John Ormond of Alfreton (Derbys), and 2nd, Catherine (d. 1537), daughter of Sir John Ferrers of Tamworth and widow of Thomas Cotton, and had issue:
(1.1) Thomas Babington (c.1500-61) (q.v.);
(1.2) Edward Babington; perhaps died young;
(1.3) Bernard Babington (fl. 1547) of Puxley (Derbys); educated at Inner Temple (admission unrecorded, but he sponsored the admission of Anthony Gell in 1547); married Ursula, daughter of Sir Gervaise Clifton, kt. and had issue one son (Gervaise Babington (d. 1610), Bishop of Llandaff) and one daughter;
(2.1) John Babington of Rampton (Notts); educated at Inner Temple (admitted 1525); in the service of Thomas Cromwell, 1538; JP for Nottinghamshire, 1538-43; Justice of Gaol Delivery, Nottingham, 1540; married Saunchia, daughter and heiress of Sir Richard Stanhope, kt. of Rampton and had issue one son (Original Brampton (d. 1577)) and two daughters;
(2.2) George Babington; married Anne (d. 1611), daughter and co-heir of Sir John Constable, kt., of Kinoulton (Notts) (who m2, Sir Anthony Thorold (d. 1594) of Marston Hall (Lincs) and had issue one daughter) but died without issue;
(2.3) Richard Babington (d. 1550);
(2.4) Elizabeth Babington (c.1510-c.1547), born about 1510; married, 26 November 1532, Sir George Pierrepoint (1510-64), kt., MP for Nottingham, 1539; died about 1547 and was buried at West Malling (Kent), where she is commemorated by a memorial brass;
(2.5) Catherine Babington (c.1518-c.1587), born about 1518; married, as his first wife, Sir John Markham (c.1500-59), kt., and had issue one son and two daughters; died about 1587;
(2.6) Mary Babington; married Robert Brett of Rotherby (Leics).
He inherited Dethick and Kingston from his father in 1518.
He died 23 August 1536 and was buried at Kingston; his will was proved 2 September 1536 and provided for the erection of a chantry chapel at Kingston, which survives, although the tomb chest it once contained does not. His first wife died 28 November 1505 and was buried at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, where there is a monument to her memory. His widow died in 1537 and was buried at Kingston; in her will she requested an alabaster monument be erected there to the memory of her husband and herself; this does not survive.

Babington, Thomas (c.1500-61). Eldest son of Sir Anthony Babington (c.1475-1536) and his first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of John Ormond, born about 1500. JP for Derbyshire by 1558. Educated at Inner Temple (admitted 1524 and 1525). He married Catherine (d. 1543), daughter of Sir Henry Sacheverell of Morley (Derbys), and had issue:
(1) Henry Babington (1530-71) (q.v.);
(2) Edmund Babington; married Mary, daughter of George Zouch of Codnor (Derbys);
(3) Anne Babington; married John Darcy (1529-1602), 3rd* Baron Darcy, and had issue one son;
(4) Margaret Babington (fl. 1598); married Sir Thomas Reresby (d. 1587), kt., of Thrybergh Hall (Yorks) and Eastwood Old Hall, Ashover (Derbys), son of Robert Reresby, and had issue eight sons and five daughters; living in 1598.
He inherited the Dethick and Kingston estates from his father in 1536.
He died 21 April 1561; his will was proved 2 May 1561. His wife died 24 August 1543 and was buried at Morley (Derbys), where she is commemorated by a fine monument attributed to Richard Parker.
* The peerage was created in 1509 for Thomas Darcy, who was attainted and executed in 1537. The peerage was revived for his eldest son by Act of Parliament in 1548. Some works treat this as a new creation and thus number John Darcy as 2nd Baron.

Babington, Henry (1530-71). Elder son of Thomas Babington (c.1500-61) and his wife Catherine, daughter of Sir Henry Sacheverell of Morley (Derbys), born 1530. He married 1st, Frances, daughter of Sir John Markham, and 2nd, Hon. Mary, daughter of George Darcy, 2nd Baron Darcy, and had issue:
(1.1) Susanna Babington; probably died young;
(1.2) Mary Babington; probably died young;
(1.3) Anne Babington; probably died young;
(1.4) Catherine Babington; probably died young;
(2.1) Helen Babington; married John Hanmer;
(2.2) Madeline alias Maud Babington (d. 1609); married, before 1595, Christopher Plunket (d. 1603), 8th Baron Dunsany, and had issue one son; said to have been murdered in Ireland, 19 March 1609, a crime for which a servant girl was tried and executed before the real killer confessed at his execution for another crime;

Portrait believed to be of
Anthony Babington.

(2.3) Anthony Babington (1561-86), born 24 October 1561; a page in the household of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, who served Mary Queen of Scots while she was a prisoner in the Earl's custody; said to have been educated at Lincolns Inn, but does not appear in the admission register; while outwardly Protestant, he was a fervent Roman Catholic in religion, and assisted the movement of Catholic priests in the Midlands; he travelled on the continent and met Thomas Morgan, who persuaded him to carry letters to Mary Queen of Scots, which he continued to do until the Queen was moved from the custody of Lord Shrewsbury; in 1586 he wrote to Mary Queen of Scots seeking her authorisation for a plot (subsequently known as the Babington Plot) inspired by the Catholic powers on the Continent and developed by a group of his friends, which aimed to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and replace her with the Catholic Mary; the discovery of this letter and Mary's reply (stressing the necessity of foreign aid if her rescue was to be successful, but leaving the matter of the assassination to Babington's conscience) was the basis for the charges of treason which led to his own trial and barbarous execution, and to the later execution of Mary herself; he married, 1579, Margaret, daughter of John Draycott of Paynsley Hall, Cresswell (Staffs), and had issue, including at least one child who survived him; executed by hanging, drawing and quartering, 1586;
(2.4) Francis Babington (d. 1618); inherited the Kingston (Notts) estate from his elder brother, 1586, but sold it to Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury; a spendthrift, he greatly reduced the estate; married, 15 July 1588 at St Lawrence Jewry, London, Juliana, daughter of Thomas Rowe, alderman of London, who had an adulterous affair with a member of their household which came to court in 1591, although they apparently remained married; buried at St. Peter, Derby, 15 December 1618;
(2.5) George Babington (fl. 1624); inherited the Dethick estate from his elder brother in 1618, but sold it to Wendesley Blackwall; married, c.1590, Helen, daughter of H. Vine of Ash (Surrey), and had issue one son and one daughter; living in 1624;
(2.6) Thomas Babington; died young, in the lifetime of his father.
He inherited the Dethick and Kingston estates from his father in 1561. At his death, the estates descended to his eldest son, who came of age in 1582. On the execution of Anthony Babington, the Crown apparently allowed some of his estates to pass to his brother.
He died 7 May 1571; his will was proved 19 February 1572/3. His first wife's date of death is unknown. His widow married 2nd, Henry Foljambe (fl. 1588) of Barlborough (Derbys); her date of death is unknown.

Babington family of Rothley Temple and Cossington

Babington, Humfrey (d. 1544). Fifth son of Thomas Babington (d. 1518) of Dethick (Derbys) and his first wife Edith, daughter of Ralph Fitzherbert of Norbury (Derbys). He married, Eleanor, daughter and co-heir of John Beaumont of Wednesbury (Staffs), grandson of Henry, Lord Beaumont, and had issue:
(1) Thomas Babington (d. 1567) (q.v.);
(2) Robert Babington (d. 1605); buried at Rothley, 7 April 1605;
(3) Rev. Francis Babington (d. 1569?); educated at Christ's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1544; BA 1548/9; MA 1552); Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, 1551-c.1555; he subscribed to the Roman Catholic articles of faith, 1555, but professed himself to be a Protestant when Queen Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558; moved to Oxford c.1555 and became a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford (BD 1558), University proctor, 1557, and Master of Balliol College, Oxford, 1559-60 (DD 1560); he was appointed Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, 1560-63, Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford, 1560-63 and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, 1560-62; ordained priest, 1556/7; chaplain to the Earl of Leicester, who asked him to preach the funeral sermon for his first wife, Amy Robsart, in 1560; vicar of Aldworth (Berks), 1557; rector of Adstock and Sherington (Bucks), 1557; rector of Caythorpe (Lincs) and Milton Keynes (Bucks), 1560; rector of Holsworthy (Devon), 1562; by 1563 he was suspected of being a Roman Catholic and lost the support of Lord Leicester; he was deprived of his remaining University appointments in 1563 and his livings in 1564; he remained in Oxford until 1565, when he fled abroad, where he is said to have died in December 1569;
(4) John Babington (fl. 1567) of Newtown; married and had issue;
(5) Barnaby Babington (d. 1566), of Mountsorrel (Leics); married 1st, [name unknown] and had issue one son; married 2nd, 1565 at Barrow-upon-Soar (Leics), Jane Sutton; buried at Barrow-upon-Soar, 1566;
(6) Humphrey? Babington; lived to maturity and became a clergyman, perhaps a Roman Catholic priest;
(7) A son;
(8) Margaret Babington (d. by 1567?); married Edward Vincent (d. 1571) of Peckleton (Leics), son of George Vincent, and had issue five sons and three daughters; apparently died before 1567;
(9) Jane Babington (fl. 1567); married George Langham of Gopsall (Leics) (which he sold in 1560), but separated from him before 1567 and lived with her brother and sister-in-law at Cossington;
(10) Mary Babington; married 1st, after 1567, Ven. Dr. John Lowth DD (d. 1598) of Keyworth (Notts), Archdeacon of Nottingham and 2nd, Christopher Middleton, and had issue eight sons;
(11) A daughter;
(12) A daughter.
He obtained a lease of Rothley Temple from the Knights Hospitaller in 1529.
He died 22 November 1544. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Babington, Thomas (d. 1567). Eldest son of Humfrey Babington (d. 1544) and his wife Eleanor, daughter and co-heir of John Beaumont. He joined in the fruitless attempt to advance Lady Jane Grey to the throne, but in return for a large fine obtained a pardon from Queen Mary. It is therefore rather surprising that he was made a JP for Derbyshire, 1554. He married Eleanor (d. 1578), daughter of Richard Humfrey of Barton Segrave (Northants), and had issue:
(1) Humfrey Babington (1544-1610) (q.v.);
(2) Matthew Babington (c.1545-1616), born about 1545; inherited the Cossington estate from his father in 1567; married 1st, 17 January 1574/5 at Rothley, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Leigh of Eggington (Derbys); 2nd, Faith (d. 1589), only daughter and heiress of Henry Stapleton of Rempstone (Notts); 3rd, Priscilla, daughter of Richard Creswell of Barneshurst (Staffs) and 4th, 20 December 1610, Margaret, daughter of Erasmus Borough of Borough (Leics), but had no issue; buried at Cossington, 13 February 1615/6;
(3) Edmond Babington (c.1546-71), born about 1546; evidently physically or mentally disabled, as his father made arrangements for his custody and care in his will; buried at Rothley, 15 August 1571;
(4) Margaret Babington (b. 1548), baptised at Cossington, 16 April 1548; married, 23 July 1576, St. John Borough, son of Erasmus Borough of Borough (Leics);
(5) Rev. Zachary Babington (1549-1613) of Curborough Hall Farm (Staffs), baptised at Cossington, 9 July 1549; educated at St. Alban Hall (BA 1569/70; MA 1572/3) and Merton College, Oxford (BCL and DCL 1594); prebendary of Lichfield Cathedral and Chancellor of the Diocese of Lichfield, 1581-1613; Precentor of Lichfield Cathedral, 1589-1608; rector of Sudbury (Derbys), 1583-96, Hoggeston (Bucks), 1588-1613?, Longford (Derbys), 1594-1603, Cossington, 1602-13 and North Wingfield (Derbys), 1600-03 and vicar of Hathersage (Derbys) until 1592; married, 4 August 1577 at Hawton (Notts), his first cousin, Thomasine, daughter of Ven. John Lowth, archdeacon of Nottingham, and had issue one son; died 1613;
(6) Jane Babington (b. 1550), baptised 10 December 1550; married, c.1575, Stephen Everard (d. 1615) of Heather and Shenstone (Leics), son of Richard Everard, and had issue;
(7) Frances Babington (b. & d. 1552), baptised 8 September 1552 and buried the same day;
(8) Mary Babington; died young before 1567.
He inherited his father's leasehold interest in Rothley Temple in 1544/9 and purchased the manor of Cossington in 1549 and the freehold of the Rothley estate in 1565. He was still living at Cossington at the time of his death in 1567.
He died 27 October 1567 and was buried at Rothley, where he and his wife are commemorated by a monument; his will was proved 31 January 1567/8. His widow was buried at Rothley, 7 June 1578.

Babington, Humfrey (1544-1610). Eldest son of Thomas Babington (d. 1567) and his wife Eleanor, daughter of Richard Humfrey of Barton Segrave (Northants), born 1544. Escheator for Warwickshire and Leicestershire, 1588, and collector of the lay subsidy, 1588-89. He married, c.1567*, Margaret (c.1545-1629), daughter of Francis Cave LL.D of Baggrave Hall (Leics) and niece of Sir Thomas Cave, kt., of Stamford (Lincs), and had issue including:
(1) Thomas Babington (1575-1645) (q.v.);
(2) Francis Babington (b. & d. 1576), baptised at Rothley, 6 January 1576; died in infancy and was buried at Rothley, 23 January 1576;
(3) Edward Babington (b. 1577), baptised at Rothley, 10 November 1577; a goldsmith in London;
(4) Rev. Adrian Babington (1578-1625), baptised at Rothley, 21 December 1578; educated at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1597/8; BA 1601; MA 1604); ordained deacon, 1606 and priest, 1607; rector of Cossington, 1606-25 and vicar of Rothley, 1608-25; prebendary of Lichfield Cathedral, 1608-25; married Margaret (1585-1632), daughter of Henry Cave of Barrow-upon-Soar (Leics) and had issue two sons and four daughters; buried at Cossington, 10 August 1625;
(5) Anne Babington (b. & d. 1579), baptised at Rothley, 23 February 1579 and was buried there the following day;
(6) Dorothy Babington (1582-84), baptised at Rothley, 24 May 1582; died young and was buried at Rothley, 18 December 1584;
(7) William Babington (1585-1657), baptised at Rothley, 27 June 1585; educated at Queens' College, Cambridge (admitted 1598) and Inner Temple (admitted 1603; called to bar 1612; bencher, 1632); barrister-at-law; died unmarried and was buried at Rothley, 22 September 1657.
He inherited the Rothley Temple estate from his father in 1567, and may have rebuilt the house there.
He was buried at Rothley, 17 June 1610. His widow was buried at Rothley, 20 September 1629, aged 84.
* The marriage is mentioned as recently arranged in a codicil to his father's will in 1567.

Babington, Thomas (1575-1645). Eldest son of Humfrey Babington (1544-1610) and his wife Margaret, daughter of Francis Cave LL.D of Baggrave Hall (Leics), born 1575. He married Katherine (d. 1657)

Katherine Babington (née Kendall) (d. 1657), with her
youngest daughter, Lucy (1618-98?)

, elder daughter of Henry Kendall of Smithsby (now Smisby (Derbys)) and Blaby (Leics), and had issue:
(1) Elizabeth Babington (b.1603), born 20 December 1603; married, 4 November 1618 at Rothley, William Danvers (1591-1656) of Swithland (Leics) and had issue one son and four daughters;
(2) Anne Babington (1605-80), born 9 January 1604/5; married 12 January 1625 at Rothley, Rev. William Staveley (c.1597-1652), fourth son of Thomas Staveley, rector of Cossington, and had issue five sons and seven daughters; buried at Cossington, 2 October 1680;
(3) Henry Babington (1606-16), born 15 February 1605/6; died young and was buried 20 May 1616;
(4) Margaret Babington (b. 1607), born 22 September 1607; married William Prescot of Driby (Lincs) and had issue;
(5) Eleanor Babington (b. 1608), born 19 October 1608; died unmarried before 1627;
(6) Walter Babington (1610-11), born 24 August 1610; died in infancy and was buried 8 January 1610/11;
(7) Matthew Babington (1612-69) (q.v.);
(8) Catherine Babington (b. 1614), born 18 April 1614; married, 18 September 1639 at Rothley, as his second wife, John Whatton (d. 1656), esquire of the body to King Charles I, and had issue three sons and three daughters; living in 1656;
(9) Maj. Thomas Babington (1615-80) of Somersham (Hunts), born 11 August 1615; educated at Inner Temple (admitted 1633; called to bar, 1641); barrister-at-law; a Captain of horse in the Parliamentarian army during the Civil War, for which he obtained a pardon, 1660, and was then, by the influence of his brother, appointed a Major in the army; married Catherine (d. 1669), second daughter of Sir Cornelius Vermuyden, and had issue two sons (Henry (b. 1662) and William Barnett (d. 1685)) after whose deaths his property passed to Thomas Babington (1635-1708) of Rothley Temple; said to have died at Chester, 1680;
(10) Humfrey Babington (1617-19), born 3 June 1617; died young and was buried 2 December 1619;
(11) Lucy Babington (1618-98), born 26 December 1618; married William Whatton of Newtown Linford (Leics) and had issue seven sons and one daughter; buried at Newtown Linford, 26 September 1698.
He inherited the Rothley Temple estate from his father in 1610 and the Cossington estate from his uncle, Matthew Babington, in 1616.
He was buried at Rothley, 17 September 1645. His widow was buried at Rothley, 21 September 1657.

Matthew Babington (1612-69)

Babington, Matthew (1612-69). Eldest surviving son of Thomas Babington (1575-1645) and his wife Katherine, elder daughter of Humphrey Kendall of Smithsby and Blaby (Leics), born 17 May 1612. Educated at Queens' College, Cambridge (matriculated 1631) and Inner Temple (admitted 1631; called to bar 1639/40). Barrister-at-law. A Royalist during the Civil War, although he seems not to have taken up arms; it therefore comes as a surprise that in 1659 he was committed to Lambeth House by the Council of State on a charge of levying war against the Parliament and corresponding with the enemy. JP for Leicestershire, 1657-59, 1660-69 and DL for Leicestershire, 1667-69. MP for Leicestershire, 1660. He married, c.1634, Anne (c.1615-48), youngest daughter of Sampson Hopkins of Stoke near Coventry, and had issue:
(1) Thomas Babington (c.1635-1708) (q.v.);
(2) Jane Babington (c.1636-68); married, c.1665, Sir William Jesson, kt. of Burleigh Park, Loughborough (Leics) and Newhouse, Coventry (Warks), and had issue one son; died 30 September 1668 and was buried at Rothley;
(3) Matthew Babington (b. c.1637); died in infancy;
(4) Anne Babington (c.1638-40); buried at Rothley, 1640;
(5) Elizabeth Babington (b. c.1639); died young;
(6) Anne Babington (c.1640-77); married, 1671, Richard Breton of Dover (Kent) and had issue one son; died 16 September 1677 and was buried at Houghton (Kent);
(7) William Babington (c.1642-1708); surgeon in London; died unmarried, 18 December 1708, aged 66;
(8) Catherine Babington (b. c.1643); died young;
(9) Elizabeth Babington (b. & d. 1644); baptised at Rothley, 8 November 1644; died in infancy;
(10) Elizabeth Babington (b. c.1645); married, 1677 (settlement 2 July), Thomas Tooke (1644-97) of Bere Court, West Cliff and The Elms, Houghton (both Kent), and had issue one son; living in 1712;
(11) Matthew Babington (1647-80), baptised at Rothley, 9 February 1646/7; educated at Westminster and Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1665; scholar 1666; BA 1668/9; MA 1672); Fellow of Trinity College, 1671-80, his appointment being secured by King Charles II in recognition of his father's ‘eminent loyalty ... both to the hazard of his life and impairing his estate’; died 1680; will proved 1681.
He inherited the Rothley and Cossington estates from his father in 1645.
He was buried at Rothley, 27 September 1669. His wife died aged 33, giving birth to an eighth daughter who did not survive, 7 June 1648, and was buried in the chancel of Rothley church.

Babington, Thomas (c.1635-1708). Son of Matthew Babington (1612-69) and his wife Anne, youngest daughter of Sampson Hopkins of Stoke near Coventry, born about 1635. Educated at Inner Temple (admitted 1658). JP for Leicestershire, 1670-88, 1689-1708; DL for Leicestershire, 1680-1708; High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1677. Freeman of Leicester, 1685; Tory MP for Leicester, 1685-88. He married 1st, 1667 (settlement 24 January), Elizabeth (d. 1669), daughter of Sir William Jesson, kt., of Coventry (Warks), and 2nd, 1677 (licence 10 October), Margaret (d. 1724), daughter and co-heir of Henry Hall of Greatford (Lincs), and had issue (with three other children of his second marriage who probably died in infancy):
(1.1) Thomas Babington (b. & d. 1669); died in infancy and was buried at Rothley, 1 January 1669/70;
(2.1) Elizabeth Babington (1679-1751), baptised at Rothley, 16 January 1679; died unmarried, 18 September 1751 and was buried at Rothley;
(2.2) Thomas Babington (1682-1745) (q.v.);
(2.3) Rev. William Babington (1686-1758), baptised at Rothley, 13 July 1686; educated at Clare Hall, Cambridge (admitted 1704; LL.B 1709); ordained deacon and priest, 1710; rector of Cossington, 1710-58 and vicar of Rothley, 1736-58; married, 1719, Elizabeth Port (c.1695-1763) and had issue one son and two daughters; died 5 December 1758 and was buried at Cossington, where he is commemorated by a monument;
(2.4) Frances Babington (1694-1759), baptised at Rothley, 6 April 1694; married, 7 December 1721 at St Paul's Cathedral, London, Sir Joseph Danvers (1686-1753), 1st bt. of Swithland (Leics) and had issue one son and four daughters; died at Chelsea; will proved 14 February 1759.
He inherited the Rothley and Cossington estates from his father in 1669, and the property at Somersham (Hunts) of his second cousins, c.1685. He probably remodelled Rothley Temple, inserting cross-windows and dormers in the main block.
He died 16 April 1708 and was buried at Rothley; his will was proved 1 July 1708. His first wife died 8 April 1669 and was buried at Rothley. His widow died 12 February 1723/4 and was buried at Rothley.

Babington, Thomas (1682-1745). Eldest surviving son of Thomas Babington (1635-1708) and his second wife, Margaret, daughter and co-heir of Henry Hall of Greatford (Lincs), baptised 10 October 1682. Educated at Clare College, Cambridge (admitted 1700; BA 1702). He married, 1711 at Stoke Dry (Rutland), Elizabeth (c.1684-1730), daughter of Ralph Keeling of London, and had issue:
(1) Anne Babington (b. & d. 1713), born 2 February and baptised at Stoke Dry, 17 February 1712/3; died in infancy and was buried at Rothley, 1713;
(2) Catherine Babington (1714-56), born 29 May 1714; died unmarried, 11 February 1756, and was buried at Rothley;
(3) Thomas Babington (1715-76) (q.v.);
(4) Frances Babington (1716-92), born 16 July and baptised at Rothley, 30 July 1716; died unmarried, 21 May 1792 and was buried at Rothley;
(5) Matthew Babington (1723-27), baptised at Rothley, 15 January 1723/4; died young, 7 November 1727 and was buried at Rothley.
He inherited the Rothley and Cossington estates from his father in 1708. He probably laid out the formal gardens around Rothley Temple and rebuilt the south-east gable in 1742.
He died 31 July and was buried at Rothley, 4 August 1745; his will was proved 22 October 1745. His wife died 30 January 1729/30.

Babington, Thomas (1715-76). Only surviving son of Thomas Babington (1682-1745) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Ralph Keeling of London, born 26 May 1715. High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1750-51. He married, 9 January 1758 at Wanlip (Leics), Lydia (1725-91), daughter of Rev. Joseph Cardale, vicar of Hinckley (Leics), and had issue:
(1) Thomas Babington (1758-1837) (q.v.);
(2) Mary Babington (1760-1843), born 28 April 1760; married, 1 March 1783, Thomas Gisborne (1758-1846) of Yoxall Lodge (Staffs), and had issue six sons and two daughters; buried at Christ Church, Needwood (Staffs), 7 January 1843; will proved 20 February 1843.
(3) Rev. Matthew Babington (1761-96), born 24 June 1761; educated at St John's College, Cambridge (BA 1782; MA 1785); Fellow of St. John's College, c.1782-87; vicar of Rothley, 1787-96; married, 16 August 1787 at St Margaret, Leicester, Elizabeth (1755-93), only child of Richard Roberts Drake of Leicester and had issue one son and one daughter; died at Lisbon (Portugal), 6 May 1796; will proved 12 March 1797;
(4) Rev. William Babington (1763-1820), born 11 March 1763; educated at Rugby and St John's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1782; BA 1786); ordained deacon, 1786 and priest, 1787; rector of Cossington, 1787-1820; married, 25 October 1787, Elizabeth Newbold (1768-1832), daughter of Rev. Henry Lovell Noble, rector of Frolesworth (Leics), and had issue three sons and one daughter; buried at Cossington, 17 January 1820; will proved 27 May 1820;
(5) Francis Babington (1764-65), born 6 May 1764; died in infancy, 3 February 1765 and was buried at Rothley Temple;
(6) Katherine Babington (1766-67), born 24 August 1766; died in infancy, 3 May 1767 and was buried at Rothley Temple;
(7) Rev. Joseph Babington (1768-1826), born 2 January 1768; educated at Rugby School, Trinity and St John's Colleges, Cambridge (admitted 1786; BA 1791; MA 1794) and Pembroke College, Oxford (MB 1795; MD 1797); practised as a physician at Ludlow (Shropshire), 1797-1812 and was a good botanist; ordained deacon, 1814 and priest, 1815; curate of Hawkesworth (Notts); married, 15 August 1803 at Bradninch (Devon), Catherine (d. 1833), daughter of John Whitter of Bradninch, and had issue one son (Prof. Charles Cardale Babington (1808-95) of St John's College, Cambridge, botanist and archaeologist); died 16 December 1826; will proved 13 February 1827.
He inherited the Rothley and Cossington estates from his father in 1745.
He died 20 June 1776 and was buried in the chapel at Rothley Temple; his will was proved 22 July 1776. His widow died 4 May 1791 and was also buried at Rothley Temple; her will was proved 24 September 1791.

Thomas Babington (1758-1837)

Babington, Thomas (1758-1837). Son of Thomas Babington (1715-76) and his wife Lydia, daughter of Rev. Joseph Cardale, vicar of Hinckley (Leics), born 18 December 1758. Educated at Rugby, St. John's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1775; BA 1779) and Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1778). High Sheriff of Leicestershire, 1780-81. MP for Leicester, 1800-18; during his years in Parliament he was an independent Tory, and usually a supporter of Pitt the younger, though he was willing to oppose the party line when religious and moral considerations so directed his conscience; in the 1820s he joined the Whigs. He was a member of the Clapham sect of political and religious reformers and his first loyalty was always to Wilberforce and his friends: Wilberforce recorded that "he had never met a man who ‘exhibited the Christian character so fully and so uniformly’ as Babington, and looked to him for advice more than to anyone else. In Parliament, he was an opponent of lotteries and supported the abolition of the slave trade, and, once that had been achieved in 1807, the abolition of slavery itself. He became a Director of the Sierra Leone company, 1805-08 and arranged the transfer of the colony to the Crown; he was also a member of the committee which founded the Church Missionary Society, 1799. By 1818, he was a partner in the Leicester Bank with John Mansfield, a connection which cost him a great deal of money, and at his death his affairs were seriously embarrassed. He was a paternalistic landlord: when he enclosed the parish in 1780, he offered smallholdings to his cottagers to allow them to grow food, and he later established a friendly society to buy corn and sell it to the poor at an affordable price. In the 1780s he also offered to pay half the cost of smallpox innoculations for this tenants. He wrote A practical view of Christian education in its early stages, 1817, and was a frequent contributor to the evangelical periodical, The Christian Observer, chiefly on educational topics. He married, 8 October 1787 at the Manse, Cardross (Dumbartons.), Jean (1764-1845), daughter of Rev. John Macaulay, minister of Cardross, and had issue including:
(1) Thomas Gisborne Babington (1788-1871) (q.v.);
(2) Lydia Babington (1789-1880), born 8 November 1789; married, 1 May 1809 at Rothley, Rev. Joseph Rose (1783-1822), rector of Pudleston (Herefs) and vicar of Rothley, eldest son of Rev. William Rose of Carshalton (Surrey) and Beckenham (Kent), and had issue one son and one daughter; died at Weybridge rectory (Surrey), 28 December and was buried at Rothley, 31 December 1880; will proved 5 February 1881;
(3) Rev. John Babington (1791-1885), born at Rothley, 16 July 1791; educated at Magdalen College, Oxford (BA 1814; MA 1817); ordained deacon, 1814 and priest, 1815; rector of Cossington, 1820-59 and vicar of Rothley, 1822-35; rector of Walton-le-Wolds (Leics), 1867-73; Hon. Canon of Peterborough; until his retirement he was the family's last resident presence on their estate; married 1st, 21 April 1818 at Paston (Hunts), Maria Frances, daughter of Rev. Joseph Stephen Pratt, prebendary of Peterborough, and 2nd, 9 August 1855 at Clifton, Bristol, Eleanor (1795-1884), youngest daughter of Charles Elliott of Westfield Lodge, Brighton (Sussex), but had no issue; died in Brighton, 16 October and was buried in Hove old churchyard, 21 October 1885; will proved 2 November 1885 (effects £4,572);
(4) Matthew Babington (1792-1836), born 5 September 1792; banker in Leicester; JP for Leicestershire; married, 19 June 1827 at North Ferriby (Yorks ER), Frances (1796-1878), third daughter of Nicholas Sykes of Swanland (Yorks ER), and had issue two sons and four daughters; died 12 August 1836 and was buried at Rothley Temple chapel; will proved 24 September 1836;
(5) George Gisborne Babington (1794-1856), born 22 January 1794; an eminent surgeon at St Thomas's Hospital, London, 1829-43 and London Lock Hospital, who made a notable contribution to the study of syphilitic diseases; elected to Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS 1817 and FRCS 1843), where he was a member of Council, 1836-43 and delivered the Hunterian Oration, 1842; author of The works of John Hunter FRS, with notes, 1837; married, 18 September 1817, Sarah Ann (d. 1870), daughter of John Pearson of Golden Square, London, but had no issue; died in London, 1 January and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, 7 January 1856; will proved 22 January 1856;
(6) Jean Babington (1798-1839), born 16 January 1798; died unmarried in London, 16 December 1839 and was buried at Rothley Temple; will proved 6 January 1840;
(7) Mary Babington (c.1799-1858); in 1845 she and her husband purchased the Rothley Temple estate from her brother; married, 17 June 1829, Sir James Parker QC (d. 1852), Vice-Chancellor of the High Court, and had issue three sons and two daughters; died in London, 20 July 1858, aged 59, and was buried in Rothley Temple chapel; will proved 14 August 1858 (effects under £4,000);
(8) William Henry Babington (1803-67) of Redbourn House (Herts), born at Madeira, 30 January 1803 and baptised at St Margaret, Westminster (Middx), 18 June 1803; educated at Shrewsbury School, 1815-17 and Haileybury College; judge in the East India Co.'s Madras Civil Service; married, 6 January 1830, Sarah (c.1804-91), daughter of Gen. F. Disney, Indian Army, but had no issue; died 17 September 1867, and was buried at Rothley, where is commemorated by a monument; administration of goods granted 28 February 1868 (effects under £5,000);
(9) Margaret Anne Babington (1804-19), born at Rothley, 13 October 1804; died young in London, 5 March 1819, and was buried at Rothley;
(10) Charles Roos Babington (1806-26), born at Rothley, 11 July 1806; an officer in 3rd Regt., Bombay Native Cavalry (Lt.); died unmarried at Kaira in Gujurat (India), 16 September 1826.
He inherited the Rothley and Cossington estates from his father in 1776, then worth about £2,000 a year, and improved them considerably through enclosure. He landscaped the grounds of Rothley Temple to the designs of William Emes in the 1780s, and remodelled the house after c.1804.
He died 21 November 1837 and was buried in the chapel at Rothley Temple; his will was proved in the PCC, 25 January 1838. His widow died 21 September 1845 and was also buried in Rothley Temple chapel.

Babington, Thomas Gisborne (1788-1871). Eldest son of Thomas Babington (1758-1837) and his wife Jean, daughter of Rev. John Macaulay, minister of Cardross (Dumbartons.), born at Rothley, 24 July 1788. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1806; scholar 1808; BA 1811; MA, 1815). In partnership with his uncle, Zachary Macaulay (father of Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, the historian), as an Africa merchant in London, c.1816-29; also a Director of the Reversionary Interest Society, c.1823-25. A member of the Clapham Sect of political and religious reformers; JP for Leicestershire. He married 1st, 27 April 1814, Hon. Augusta Julia (1796-1833), fourth daughter of Sir Gerard Noel Noel, 2nd bt., of Exton Park (Rutland) and his wife Diana, Baroness Barham, and 2nd, 28 June 1841 at Frankfurt (Germany), Augusta Felicita Francoise Theresa Hubertina (1812-90), daughter of Francis Gerard Vecqueray, one of the Secretaries of State to the King of Prussia for his Grand Duchy of the Rhine, and had issue:
(1.1) Augusta Diana Babington (1815-56), born 30 May 1815; married, 9 April 1839 at Coimbatore, Frederic Mortimer Lewin (d. 1877) of The Hollies (Kent) and the HEICS Civil Service and had issue; died in London, 25 March 1856;
(1.2) Julia Mary Babington (1817-31), born 1 August 1817; died young, 16 June and was buried at Shirehampton (Glos), 22 June 1831;
(1.3) Rev. Thomas Arthur Babington (1820-96) (q.v.);
(1.4) Louisa Jean Babington (1822-59), born 24 July 1822; married, 3 February 1842 at Rothley, Ven. Francis Cocks Puget Reynolds (d. 1859), chaplain to the East India Co. and later Archdeacon of Bombay, 1855-59; died at Kirkee, Bombay (India), 28 July 1859;
(1.5) Rev. Charles Edward Babington (1828-55), born at Bath, 23 February and baptised at Charmouth (Dorset), 18 September 1828; educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1850; BA 1854); curate of Needwood (Staffs); died unmarried of influenza at Barton-under-Needwood (Staffs), 5 February and was buried at Christ Church, Needwood (Staffs), 10 February 1855;
(2.1) Julia Mary Babington (c.1842-93), born about 1842 at Namur (Belgium) and baptised at Brussels; died unmarried, 27 August 1893, and was buried at Christ Church, Lichfield (Staffs), 30 August 1893; will proved 20 October 1893 (effects £2,922);
(2.2) Rev. John Albert Babington (1843-1931) (q.v.);
(2.3) Augustus Gisborne Babington (1851-1900), of Redlands, Parkstone (Dorset) and Prestbury Priory (Glos), born at Lichfield (Staffs), 8 January 1851; appointed to a clerkship in the Post Office, 1869, and remained in their employment until his death; Hon. Sec. of Society for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, 1874-77; JP for Gloucestershire; engaged in amateur dramatics; married, 15 May 1884 at St John, Paddington, Merriall Lucy, daughter of Ven. Dr. Henry Patton, Archdeacon of Ontario (Canada), and had issue two sons and one daughter; was sent by the Post Office to reorganise postal services in Bermuda, 1899-1900, but died off Gravesend on the return journey, 22 February 1900; will proved 29 March 1900 (effects £1,316).
He lived in London until c.1829 and later at Bristol. He inherited the Rothley and Cossington estates from his father in 1837, but sold Rothley Temple to his brother-in-law in 1845 and lived thereafter in Lichfield (Staffs).
He died at the Close, Lichfield, 19 January and was buried at Rothley, 24 January 1871, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved 4 February 1871 (effects under £2,000). His first wife died at Bath (Somerset), 19 June and was buried at Shirehampton (Glos), 27 June 1833. His widow died at the Close, Lichfield, 23 July and was buried at Rothley, 26 July 1890; her will was proved 28 August 1890 (effects £802).

Babington, Rev. Thomas Arthur (1820-96). Eldest son of Thomas Gisborne Babington (1788-1871) and his first wife, the Hon. Augusta Julia, fourth daughter of Sir Gerard Noel Noel, 2nd bt. and his wife Diana, Baroness Barham, born 25 November 1820. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1841; Hon. MA 1844). Ordained deacon, 1844 and priest, 1846; curate of Compton Valance (Dorset), 1849-57; rector of Wanlip (Leics), 1860-75. He married, 19 August 1847 at the British Embassy in Paris (France), Katherine Mary (1821-81), daughter of Cornelius Henry Bolton of Faithlegg (Co. Waterford) and had issue:
(1) Mary Augusta Babington (1848-96), born 8 November 1848; lived in London; died unmarried of pneumonia at Clevedon (Somerset), 10 March 1896, and was buried there; her will was proved 18 January 1897 (effects £1,560);
(2) Eleanor Katharine Babington (1851-1916), born 17 July and baptised in the chapel at Standlynch Park (Wilts), 7 August 1851; lived latterly at Bath (Somerset); died unmarried, 23 August 1916; will proved 22 November 1916 (estate £494);
(3) Emily Frances Babington (1858-1939), born 11 September 1858; married, 8 July 1886 at Holy Trinity, Ilfracombe (Devon), Arthur Edward Wellington Fox MB (1844-1930) of Ennox Lodge, Hinton Charterhouse (Somerset), consulting physician to Royal United Hospital, Bath, and son of Edwin Fydell Fox of Brislington, Bristol, surgeon, and had issue; died 29 July 1939; will proved 23 August 1939 (estate £4,136).
He inherited the Cossington estate from his father in 1871, but the provision for his stepmother from the estate meant he was chiefly dependent on his stipend; he lived at Wanlip for a time after giving up the living, but retired to Bristol in about 1885. At his death the Cossington estate passed to his half-brother, the Rev. John Albert Babington.
He died at Clifton, Bristol, 30 November, and was buried at Shirehampton, 4 December 1896; his will was proved 19 January 1897 (effects £3,888). His wife died 23 November 1881.

Babington, Rev. John Albert (1843-1931). Elder son of Thomas Gisborne Babington (1788-1871) and his second wife, Augusta Theresa, daughter of Francis Gerard Vecqueray, one of the Secretaries of State to the King of Prussia for his Grand Duchy of the Rhine, born at Namur (Belgium), 13 November 1843 and baptised in Brussels. Educated at Rugby and New College, Oxford (matriculated 1862; BA and MA 1872). Ordained deacon, 1873 and priest, 1874. Assistant Master at Marlborough College, 1867-75; Headmaster of Lincoln Grammar School, 1875-80; Assistant Master at Tonbridge School, 1880-1903; vicar of Tenterden (Kent), 1903-24. He contributed a brief memoir of his cousin, Charles Cardale Babington, to Memorials, Journal and Botanical Correspondence of Charles Cardale Babington, 1897, and was author of The Reformation: a religious and historical sketch, 1901. He married, 29 June 1876 at Orpington (Kent), Emily Elizabeth (1853-1901), daughter of Rev. William Gardner, vicar of Orpington, and had issue:
(1) Percy Lancelot Babington (1877-1950) (q.v.);
(2) Margaret Agnes Babington (1878-1958), born 12 August and baptised at Lincoln, 14 September 1878; founder and secretary of the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral; awarded OBE, 1937 and appointed a Commander of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1937; author of A pageant of healing throughout the ages, 1927 and The romance of Canterbury Cathedral, 1932; died unmarried, 24 August 1958; by her will proved 30 October 1958 (effects £27,622), she established a fund for the support of Anglican artists, their widows and dependents;
(3) Humphrey Temple Babington (1884-1917), born 19 July and baptised at Rusthall (Kent), 26 August 1884; a clerk in the Union Bank of Australia; he emigrated to Adelaide (Australia) in 1914, where he worked as a tramway employee; served in First World War as a private soldier with Australian Imperial Force, 1915-17; died of bronchitis, 1 May 1917; buried at Aveluy Communal Cemetery extension (France).
He inherited the Cossington estate from his half-brother in 1896, but lived at Walmer House, Tonbridge and later at Tenterden vicarage and with his daughter in the Cathedral close at Canterbury.
He died at Canterbury (Kent), 13 May 1931; his will was proved 11 June 1931 (estate £5,962). His wife died in Tonbridge, 24 October 1901; administration of her goods was granted to her husband, 1 March 1901 (effects £280).

Babington, Percy Lancelot (1877-1950). Only surviving son of Rev. John Albert Babington (1843-1931) and his wife Emily Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. William Gardner, vicar of Orpington (Kent), born 24 July and baptised at St Margaret in the Close, Lincoln, 24 August 1877. Educated at Tonbridge and St John's College, Cambridge (admitted 1896; BA and LL.B 1899; MA 1917). Librarian at Cairo Medical School, 1899-1902. Assistant Master at Yardley Court School, Tonbridge, 1904-10. Cambridge University Extension Lecturer on literary subjects, 1912-c.1937. He was a poet and bibliophile; author of Poems, 1911; A collection of books about cats, with notes, 1918; Browning and Calverley, or, poem and parody, 1925 and A bibliography of the works of John Addington Symonds (1925, repub. 1968). He was unmarried and without issue.
He inherited the Cossington estate from his father in 1931, but lived in Cambridge by 1938. The estate was apparently broken and up and sold after his death.
He died 6 April 1950; his will was proved 17 June and 23 August 1950 (estate £17,041).

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1952, p. 82; J. Nichols, History of Leicestershire, vol. 3, part 2, 1804, pp. 941-965; Collectanea Topographica, vol 2, p. 94, vol. 8, 1843, pp. 264, 313; Sir J. Baker, The men of Court, 1440-1550, 2012, vol. 1, pp. 248-51; ODNB entries on Anthony Babington (1561-86), Francis Babington (d. 1569?), Thomas Babington (1758-1837) and William Babington (d. 1453); History of Parliament entries on Anthony Babington (c.1475-1536), Matthew Babington (1612-69) and Thomas Babington (1758-1837).

Location of archives

Babington of Rothley and Cossington: deeds, manorial records, estate, family and legal papers, maps and plans, 12th-20th cents. [Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland, 2D31; 44/28; 6D46; 1D38; 11D42]
Babington, Thomas (1758-1837): correspondence, 19th cent. [Trinity College Library, Cambridge, Babbington]

Coat of arms

Argent, ten torteaux, four, three, two and one; in chief, a label of three points, azure.

Can you help?

Here are a few notes about information and images which would help to improve the account above. If you can help with any of these or with other additions or corrections, please use the contact form in the sidebar to get in touch.

• In the normal course of events, the property of anyone convicted of treason would be seized by the Crown, but this did not happen to the Dethick estate when Anthony Babington was executed for the crime in 1586. It passed to Anthony's brother Francis (d. 1618), and on his death to their brother George (living in 1624). Some authorities account for this by saying that Anthony had already made over his property to his brother before the conspiracy was detected, and others by saying that the Crown seized the estates but retained only outlying properties and returned the core to the family. I have found no clear evidence for either explanation, and would be grateful to anyone who can explain exactly what happened and why.
• Can anyone provide portraits of additional members of this family whose names are given in bold above, or additional genealogical information about the family?

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 24 July 2017 and was updated 21 January 2021.