John Raymond, I, II and III

Using the account from Thomas Wright, the names on the family memorial in the church and a couple of family trees I have tried to put together a "who was who and when". The reuse of names does not help here. There are many Johns, Olivers and Francises.

The Johns are as follows:

• 1st of Essenden - son of Roger, grandson of Philip of Hunsden, Herfordshire.
• 1st of Belchamp Hall - died 1635
• 2nd of Belchamp Hall - (C1) died 1690 - did not succeed
• 3rd of Belchamp Hall - (D1) died 1720 - Succeed by William Raymond (C2)

The portraits

The two portraits of the John Raymond, the 1st of Belchamp Hall and the purchaser of the Estate in 1611, and his grandson, the 3rd and inheritor of the hall in 1690, are hanging in the drawing room of the current Belchamp Hall.

The heredity of John I of Belchamp Hall here may not be accurate as it was taken from a geneological website that I question.

John I of Essenden

Son of Roger of Hunsden, Herfordshire.
Grandson of Phillip and Agnes Stern
Agnes Stern, daughter of William Stern of Essenden, Hertfordshire

Son of John and Judith Cockayne

John I of Belchamp Hall - born 15?? - died 1635

Purchaser of Belchamp Hall from John Wentworth in 1611.

John I (of Belchamp Hall) married Anne Sparrow and their son was Oliver. Died 1635 - (Oliver Raymond, parliamentarian, died 1679)

Oliver married Francis Harris and their oldest son was St. Clere. Oliver and Francis had 20 other children. Oliver was their second eldest and was a Silk Merchant of London

John II - died 1690

Son of St. Clere and Anne Warkham whose son was John III

St Clere was disinherited as a consequence of this marriage. The ownership of Belchamp Hall passed to their son John Raymond III

The reason for the disinheritance is not clear, but the result was that their son did not succeed as owner of the estate. There is no information in records associated with the church but some clues were found in the Records of the Smythies family.

John III

Died 1720 and the only son of John II and Anne Burgoyne

William Raymond, John Raymond II's son, sold the outlying estate to Samuel Ruggles in 1741

The estate was either re-purchased by John Mayne St. Clere Raymond or his father Samuel Millbank R - 1865. Actually it was John Mayne St. Clere Raymond as Samuel Millbanke died in 1864.

It is interesting that when Thomas Wright was writing his account of Belchamp Walter 1831/36 this was before the estate re-aquired by the Raymond's. Some of the " outlying areas" may have still been in the ownership at this time. I.e. the farms and farmland.