The Nelthorpe baronetcy was a relatively brief phenomenon, lasting a fraction over two centuries. The first baronet was Sir John (1614—69), the third son of Richard of Glandford Brigg. He became an eminent and highly-regarded lawyer practising at Grays Inn in London. In 1667 he bought Rutland House in the Charterhouse in Clerkenwell.
During the Civil War he had served with some success in Cromwell’s New Model Army and eventually rose to become Cromwell’s Adjutant General, possibly participating in the latter’s campaign in Ireland. This may well explain the “red hand of Ulster” that forms part of the Nelthorpe family’s coat of arms. Be that as it may, following the death of Cromwell in 1659, he became disaffected with parliament and the parliamentary cause and defected to the monarchists. This clearly did him no harm at all as events turned out.
The story resumes in 1666, when John Nelthorpe acquired a baronetcy — an honour which James I had devised in 1614 with the express purpose of raising cash. Originally, the asking price was £100,000 (in today’s money) with one third payable up front and the balance over two years.
The bequest consisted of a site in Brigg of some nine and a half acres of land known as Townsends Closes and provision for a Master and an UsherIt also included an area of land further east amounting to some 387 acres, which yielded an annual income estimated at £160 at the time of his death.
His will also hints at an unrequited love as the following indicates: “Item: that my kindness may not go down with me to the grave without leaving an impress thereof upon that vertuous lady Mistress Mary Langham daughter of Sir James Langham, knight, I give unto her my table diamond ring, my gold watch, my knife with the agatt haft set with diamonds, and a jewell of five hundred pounds value to be prepared and presented to her by mine Executors with this motto inamiled on the backside of it “Love’s Paraphrase” which I humbly pray her to accept and weare, as she shall see occasion, in memory of him who truly loved her. I also give her the one-and-thirty Angells which were given me by my father to be presented by his directions to her that should be my wife, and what other golde shall be in my purse with it at the time of my decease”.
Clearly, he had done very well for himself.
