Dame Katherine Hawkins

Admiral Sir Richard Hawkins went on record that his father's (second?) wife, Katherine Gonson, commonly regarded as his mother, was actually his stepmother. He made no further comment on the subject apparently, however, that suggests that he was the product of his father's liaison with an unnamed woman.

We do not have exact dates for when she was born, or when she married Admiral John Hawkins. Probably it was between voyages in the 1560s - say 1563-64 (between first and second voyages) or 1565-67 (between second and third voyages). Wikipedia thinks it was 1567, but they are not authoritative.

Biography

From https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99297308/katherine-hawkins

Dame Katherine Gonson married Sir John Hawkins in 1557 and had one son Sir Richard Hawkins. [SIC] Katherine Gonson was the daughter of Benjamin Gonson, Treasurer of the Navy, who was the son of William Gonson, Treasurer of the Navy before him. In 1573, Benjamin Gonson resigned in favor of his son-in-law, Sir John Hawkins who held the office of Treasurer until his death in 1595, a period of 22 years.

Dame Katherine died after a lingering illness the first week of July 1591.

By the special permission of her husband she executed a will on 23 June 1591,

BE it known to all men by these presents that whereas I Sir John Hawkins Knt. am possessed of one house with one garden & appurtenances thereunto belonging in Deptford And whereas I am also possessed of certain other lands in Deptford aforesaid within [sic] Katherine my well beloved wife is in the remainder to dispose to her & her heirs knowe ye that I the said Sir John Hawkins in consideration of my great good will borne to my wife aforesaid and in consideration of the great care& travels she hath alwaies borne towards the increasing & maintenance of my estate have licensed and do by these licence and give libertie to the said Katherine my wife to make her last will & testament and therein to dispose & give & bequeath at her good pleasure and liking to anie person or persons & their heirs not only the possession & reversion of the said lands but also of my goodes moveable to the value of five hundreth pounds sterling which dispositions gifts & bequests by her to be made for the things & value above said I promise by theis presents for me my heirs & executors to allowe ratifie & performe. In witnes whereof I have set to theis presents my hande & seale the xxvth day of May in the xxxijth yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne Ladie Elizabeth JOHN HAWKINS. Seal ed & delivered in the presence of me LAWRENCE HUSE.

Will of Katherine Lady Hawkins~ I KATHERINE HAWKINs wife of Sir John Hawkins Knt. do request my husband that he will be contented my corps may be buried in the parish Church of St. Dunstans in the Easte. I bequeath the large bason & ewer of silver & gilt which was my late fathers to my brother Benjamin Gonson & to his heirs after the decease of my husband. And for default of issue to such one of mysisters or sisters children as shal be thought most fit & convenient by mine Executors to take the use of the said bason & ewer. To my said brothers wife my best border of pearls & gold. To my sister Marie Hawkins my other border of gold & pearle To Judith Hawkins wife of Richard Hawkins my ring with the table diamante which Sr Nicholas Parker gave me. To my sister Peterson my great Spanische piece of golde of the value of about fifty ducats, and to Ursula Peterson her daughter £50. To my sister Bennet Wallinger the face cloth & cushion cloth which she hath in use of mine and to Katherine Wallinger her daughter & my god daughter £50. And to Thomas Wallinger her son £25 To Marie Wallinger her daughter £25 To my sister Anne Fleminge 32 pieces of 10s. in gold of the mill stamp To my sister Thomasine Fenton my pair of bracelets of gold pearle & "Agathies" and my ringe with the seale. To my cousin Katherine Joydan 10 pieces of gold of 20s. the piece To my cousin Marie Robinson one piece of gold of 30s. To my cousin Margaret Huse ais Roe one piece of gold of 30s. To my cousin Anne Netmaker wife of my cousin Robert Netmaker 40s. And to Ursula Netmaker her daughter £3. To my cousin Margaret Laurence wife of Simon Laurence one piece of gold of 4 ducats To the wife of my cousin Michael Gonson 40s. And to her son Benjamin his wife 40s. To Mr Edward Combes in consideration of his great travels in our affairs one "portague" To my god son James Wood six angels. Numerous legacies to friends. To the poor of St. Dunstan's parish £5, and to the poor of Deptford £5 I ordain my good sisters Ursula Peterson & Thomasine Fenton my Executors and my Uncle Huse to be Overseer of this my will Signed & sealed by me KATHERINE HAWKINS the xxijth day of June 1591.

On the xxiijth of June Dame Katherine Hawkins declared this to be her last will in the presence of Abraham Fleminge "preaching minister,' of Deptford, Richard Chapman & William Currey. After the delivery of the will Dame Katherine gave by word of mouth various other legacies to several people. Proved 16th Oct. 1591 at Roch ester . [Ro chester Wills.]

Notes

From https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Hawkins,_John_(1532-1595)_(DNB00)_

Hawkyns was buried at sea, but in accordance with his will a monument was erected to his memory in the church of St. Dunstan's-in-the-East, in which parish he had resided for thirty years, and to the poor of which, as well as a Plymouth and of Deptford, he bequeathed a sum of 50l. In addition to the Latin inscription on the monument, another in English was shown on a mural tablet. These with the church perished in the great fire; but the inscriptions have been preserved by Stow (Survey of London, vol. i. lib. ii. p. 45). In the English verses there is an error, presumably of transcription, which makes them unintelligible. According to Stow—

• Dame Katharine his first religious wife
• Saw years thrice ten and two of mortal life,
• Leaving the world the sixth, the seventh ascending. Married should probably be read for mortal in the second line, the third line implying that at her death she was between 42—6 times 7—and 49—7 times 7. Sir Richard Hawkyns [q. v.], her son, was born in or about 1561 or 1562, and Dame Katharine died after a lingering illness in the first days of July 1591 (Hist. MSS. Comm. 12th Rep. App. pt. i. pp. 14, 15). By the special permission of her husband she executed a will on 23 June 1591 (Drake, p. xi; Hawkins, p. 72). Hawkyns married secondly Margaret, daughter of Charles Vaughan of Hergest Court in Herefordshire, but had by her no issue. She died in 1619. Besides his son Richard, a ‘base son’ is spoken of as captain of the ship sent out to countermand Drake's orders in 1587 (Lansdowne MS. vol. lii. cap. 43). Neither the name of this ship nor of her captain can now be traced, nor yet any other mention of this ‘base son;’ and it has been suggested that the expression merely refers to Richard, the legitimate son, whose conduct may have been disapproved of by the writer of the manuscript, a man full of rancour towards Hawkyns and his family.