Pre Raymond Belchamp Walter
The John Eliot connection needs more research
This page needs a re-write - The Stern/Raymond connection is not confirmed.
Was visited Feb 2026 - could have been someone looking for Raymond stuff, who knows!
The stirnet website has a script that runs automatically (on a Windows computer). This script loads a sign-up page after a few seconds effectivly making it impossible to read, let alone copy, anything on the page that you found making a search. In my case I was searching for Stern of Essenden. My solution to this was to copy the source code from a dump that I made on my iPad and I extracted the table from that. The script does not run on iOS, but I guess stirnet don't think that a mobile user is going to "steal" their information or maybe their platform does not run on iOS. In any case I am getting fed up with geneology websites wanting me to sign-up to get more information.
The family tree
There are many other hyperlinks in the table that need to be modified.
I added a "styled" hyperlink in the table above and I want to see if this violates the GSC determination of Mobile Friendly.
Hundon - Hunsden
This is another error on the Stirnet family tree - it compounded by the fact that Stirnet times-out to get to log-in.
William Stern of Essendon
The information on this page comes from Stirnet Families Database - as such I am not sure of its provinance. Some of the names seem to jive with other information that I have found but the Stirnet website seems to be more interested in getting to signup for their services rather than being a resource for you to find out details on families.
The first clue or pointer to this aspect of Belchamp Walter's history was based on a statement from Thomas Wright's History and Topography of Essex. The second was from information from the Duchess of Cleveland's Battle Abbey Roll. This suggested connections to Kent and to Hertfordshire.
The crest on the North side of the tower arch in Belchamp Walter, St. Mary the Virgin was originally though (by me)
to be that of Stern of Essenden. November 2024, this is now under investigation.
The Crest on the South side of the tower is that of Stern/Raymond families.
Top
The Tudor era is not well documented and I am of the impression that current residents of the village are unaware of this part of Belchamp Walter's history. The observations of what can be found in the Church and additional research have given me some clues.
Roger of Hunsden, Herfordshire.
Hunsden House is a former residence of Mary I of England.
When researching some heraldry for this website I came across stirnet.com, yet another "
family tree website".
I was searching for any reference to "Stern of Essenden" apart from my own pages.
The Stern-Raymond family tree from stirnet
Here we see a little inconsistanacy creep with the accounts of Thomas Wright, the Duchess of Cleveland and British History On-line - in that Phillip was either the grand father or great grand father of John I of Belchamp Hall.
I also have issue with stirnet as it seems to more interested in getting me to sign-up for their services.
| Philip of Hundon (Hunsden) , Hertfordshire |
| m. (1470) Agnes Stern (daughter/heir of
William Stern of Essenden,
son of Nicholas) |
| 1. |
Roger |
| |
m. [Radigunda?] Elliot (dau of John Elliot) - c. 1622 Radigunda Eliot? |
| |
A. |
John |
| |
m. Judith Cockayne (dau of Chadd Cockayne of Cockayne Hatley) |
|
i. |
John 1st of Belchamp Hall, Essex (d 1635) |
| |
m. Anne Sparrow (bur 1652, dau of John Sparrow of Gestingthorpe) |
| |
a. |
Oliver of Belchamp Hall (d 1679) |
| |
m. (1653) Frances Harris (dau of Sir William Harris of
Shenfield and/or Margaretting) |
|
(1) |
St. Clere |
| |
m. Ann Wakeham (dau of Lawrence Wakeham or Warkman) |
| |
(A) |
John of Belchamp Hall (d 1690) |
| |
m. Anne Burgoyne (dau of Sir Roger Burgoyne, 2nd Bart of Potten) |
| |
(i) |
John of Belchamp Hall (d unm 1720) |
|
(B) |
William of Belchamp Hall (d 1732) |
| |
(C) |
Samuel(younger son) |
| |
(i) |
William |
|
(a) |
Samuel of Belchamp Hall (d 1767, Rev.) |
| |
m. Isabella Child (dau of Richard Child of Lavenham) |
| |
((1)) |
Samuel of Belchamp Hall (d 18.01.1825, rector of Middleton, vicar of Belchamp, 2nd son) |
| |
m. (1780) Margaretta Bridges (d 29.09.1848, dau of
Rev. Brooke Bridges of Orlingbury) |
| |
((A)) |
Samuel Millbank of Belchamp Hall (b 06.02.1787, d 18.01.1863, 2nd son)
had issue |
| |
m. (07.03.1808) Sarah Cooke (dau of Rev. William Cooke of Preston & Melton) |
| |
((B)) |
Oliver (d 15.09.1889, rural dean, rector of Middleton, vicar of Belchamp)
had issue |
|
m. (04.02.1817) Anne Andrewes (d 01.06.1863, dau of Rev. Charles Andrewes of Flempton) |
| |
((C)) |
Isabella |
| |
m. Henry Yates Smythies (rector of Stanground-cum-Farcett) |
| |
((D)) |
Margaretta Cave |
| |
m. Jeremiah Pemberton (rector of Foxearth) |
| |
((E))+ |
other issue - Philip Honywood (d 1807, Rev.), Juliana (d infant) |
| |
((2)) |
Isabella (dsp 12.1808) |
| |
m1. John Mayne of Teffont Evias |
| |
m2. (12.04.1788) Archibald Cochrane, 9th Earl of Dundonald
(b 01.01.1748, d 01.07.1831) |
| |
((3))+ |
other issue - Philip Honywood (d unm 1757), William (d young), Oliver (d young),
Oliver (d young) |
| |
(D)+ |
other issue - Edward, James, 2 sons, 2 daughters |
| |
(2) |
Anne (b by 1634) |
| |
m. John Eden |
| |
(3) |
Frances |
| |
m. John D'Arcy |
| |
(4)+ |
other issue - John (b c1632, dvpsp?), Oliver, William, 15/16 others |
| |
b. |
Elizabeth |
| |
m. Edward Aylett |
| |
c.+ |
other issue - John (d young), William (d young), St. Clere, Frances, Judith, Anne,
Joane, Sarah, Mary |
|
|
| Their coat of arms indicates that the following family was
probably connected to the above one, albeit possibly quite distantly. |
| Sir Thomas (a 1680, judge) |
| m. Anne Fish (sister/coheir of Sir Edward Fish of Southill, 3rd Bart) |
| 1. |
Robert , 1st Lord of Abbot's Langley (Hertfordshire) (b 20.12.1673, d 19.03.1732/3,
Lord Chief Justice) |
| |
m. Anne Northey (d 13.03.1720/1, dau of Edward Northey of Woodcote Green in Epsom by
Anne Jolliffe) |
| |
A. |
Robert , 2nd Lord of Abbot's Langley (b c1717, dsp 19.09.1756) |
| |
m. (25.06.1741) Chetwynd (not Mary) Blundell (a 1781, dau/coheir of Montagu,
Viscount Blundell (by Mary Chetwynd), m2. Robert Bertie) |
|
Main source(s):
(1) For upper section (uploaded 16.02.11) : BLG1952 (Raymond of Belchamp Hall), Visitation
(Essex, 1634, Raymond No. 2),
Berry's Essex Pedigrees (1838, Raymond)
(2) For lower section (uploaded 28.08.12) : TCB (vol X, Raymond of Abbot's Langley)
Inconsistanacy creep
Thomas Wright says:
"
It continued for several generations in the possession of this family. John Wentworth, Esq. of Gosfield,
held this manor at the
time of his death in 1588, Raymond and his grandson, Sir John, created a baronet in 1611, sold it to
John Raymond, Esq. of the
family of that name, of Essex and Norfolk, whose ancestors were from Raymond, a place in Kent.
"
It (in above quoute) was the Manor of Belchamp Walter.
"
Philip Raymond, of this family, was resident at Hunsdon, in Hertfordshire, and, by his wife Agnes, daughter
and heiress of William Sterne, of Essenden, had Roger, whose son John married
Judith, daughter of Chadd Cockayne, of Cockayne Hatley, in Bedfordshire, by whom he had John Raymond, Esq. the purchaser of
this estate: he married Anne, daughter of John Sparrow, Esq. of
Gestingthorpe, by whom he had John, William, Oliver, St. Clere; Frances, Elizabeth, Judith, Jane,
Sarah, Mary.
"
The Duchess of Cleveland says:
"
From this Kentish stock Philipots, in his Villare Cantianum, concurs with Hasted in deriving the Raymonds
of Essex.
Their first move, however, appears to have been to Hunsdon in Hertfordshire, where we find Philip Raymond,
in the sixteenth century, married to a county heiress who brought him Essendon.
"
There is a fair amount of correlation here......
"
Their great-grandson John (who was living in 1627) bought Belchamp-Walter of the Wentworths, and transplanted
the Raymonds to this new home in Essex, where they still flourish. No doubt it was unwittingly that they
thus returned to the county in which the name had originally taken root at the Conquest.
"
A case of too many Johns???? But this was John I of Belchamp Walter as he purchased the Manor in 1611.
and BHO, in their entry for St. Mary's church says that the Stern crest was wrongly painted in the 17th or 18th century whereas they seem to have mixed the Raymond and the Stern crests around.
The Raymond crest is also seen on the memorial - also shown here
and the BHO site says the Stern crest is: "a) three water bougets quartering three bulls' heads razed
sable;"
and
"b) sable a cheveron argent between three eagles argent and a chief argent with
three martlets sable therein, for Raymond, quartering or a cheveron sable between three crosses paty sable, for Sterne of Essendon".
or the BHO description is just badly written (or transcribed by me!)
There is a village in Hertfordshire, Hunsden is the location of Hunsden House, a former residence of Mary I before she
ascended to the throne. It was one of Henry VIII's lesser known country estates.
From the Visitations of Essex - 1634:
Arms.
Quarterly
1 and 4. Sable, a chevron between three eagles displayed argent, on a chief of the
second three martlets of the first. [Raymond.]
2 and 3. Or, a chevron between three crosses flory sable. [Sterne.]
Crest.
A dragon's head erased Or, ducally gorged gules. [Raymond.]
