John; there seems to be thread drift going on here, but in answer to your question - 'Hotham Hall, long identified with the ancient family of Hotham, is a handsome mansion, standing in a park of 150 acres, about one mile north of the village (Hotham, E Yorkshire). A west wing was added to the house in 1871. Hotham family, of South Dalton and Scorborough (not Scarborough!) Sir John Hotham was the son of John Hotham, High Sheriff of Yorkshire. He served in the Thirty Years War and sat as MP for Beverley during the reign of Charles I. He was knighted in 1617 and became the 1st baronet on 14 January 1622. On 11 January 1642 Charles I appointed the Earl of Newcastle as Governor of Hull and Parliament appointed Sir John Hotham who believed he held the town in the 'king's authority signified by the Lords and Commons in Parliament'. This became a problem when the King demanded entry to Hull on 23 April 1642. Sir John Hotham refused him entry on the grounds that it would betray his commission to keep the town secure. He was declared a traitor. Letters to the Earl of Newcastle from Sir John Hotham and his son that are in the collection contain evidence of their ambiguous loyalties and their return to the king's fold in early 1643'. Paul; yes, clearly a man in two minds.