Richard Perry I (bef. 1552 - bef. 1621)

Born before 1552 in Exeter, Devon, England

Descendants

Died before 25 Jan 1621 at about age 69 in Exeter St Edmund, Exeter, Devon, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Linda Perry [send private message]

Biography

This Richard Perry, suffixed as "1" to follow the generational convention of the "Perry Family" book by Jacob Price, did not use that number during his lifetime. Please do not remove it from his profile.

He was the son of Roger Perry and an un-known wife; Richard's wife's name is also not known. His father Roger originally had a wife Margery Parr linked without sources; she should be "Unknown Unknown". That linkage may have come from a Boyd's Marriage Index entry at findmypast.co.uk which simply listed Richard "Parris" and Margery Parr marriage in 1551 with no further details. His father was also linked to several other women including Constance Phelip with no sources.

His exact birth date is not known but assuming he was at least 25 when his first son was christened in 1577 that places his birth at 1552 or earlier.

The book "Perry of London: A Family and a Firm on the Seaborne Frontier, 1615-1753" Author: Jacob M Price is an amazingly well researched and sourced book about this family, it is far from the typical "vanity publication" of unsourced family lore. Unfortunately it cannot be posted here due to copyright restrictions.^[1] That book is the source of the numbering of Richard 1, 2 and 3 sometimes seen on the internet and the author makes it clear those numbers are just to keep the generations straight, the men at the time did not use those numbers. Much of the narrative of this bio comes from that book which has 10 pages of primary sources for Richard I, II and III.

This branch of the Perry family was of Devon with close cousins in Limerick, Ireland. Wills of both branches of the familys bequeathed to each other in the early and mid 1600s.

Roger Perry, father of this profile, was admitted as a freeman of Exeter, Devon by apprenticeship in 1531/32. His sons William and Richard both became bailiffs of Exeter and appeared in the records of the "Society of Local Merchant Adventurers"

Richard appeared in the Exeter port books in the 1580s importing wine and other goods from Spain and Portugal. Both William and Richard were named as founders in Queen Elizabeth's 1577 charter incorporating the Spanish Company. A Richard Perry also appears in the 1605 re-assertion of the charter under King James; it was likely the same man as his namesake son was only 25 at the time.^[2] William's descendants were the founders of the Limerick branch of the Perrys beginning with his son William.

Richard was churchwarden at St. Petrocks in Exeter from 1583-1585 where his children were christened, he lived in the parish from 1575 to 1595.

Richard died in 1621 and was buried on 25 Jan 1620/21 at St. Edmund, Exeter^[3] as were his sons Roger (8 Dec 1618),^[4] Edward (13 Sep 1622)^[5] ( and William (27 Jun 1619)^[4] per the parish registers.

Possibly he was the Richard "Parre" of Exeter who's 1592 will appears in the Devon Wills Index on findmypast.co.uk but that is speculation.

An unsourced death of 10 Dec 1623 at Whitechapel in London was originally asserted on this profile without proof (even though such a burial record may exist, it was not for this man of Exeter).

He had ten known children by an un-named wife or wives (christening dates shown, 2nd year of double-year when applicable):

1. Phillip (5 Apr 1577-??)^[6]
2. Richard (5 May 1578-1579) apparently died young as the name was re-used^[7]
3. Roger (13 Feb 1579-8 Dec 1618)^[8]
4. Richard "II" (5 Feb 1580-1650) who married Dewnes Hicks^[9]
5. John (15 Mar 1581-1629) who traveled to Virginia to oversee business interests of the family and died there in 1629 having written his will in 1628^[10]
6. Hosea (4 Apr 1584-??) also apparently written as Osea or Osen^[11]
7. Edward (11 Nov 1585-13 Sep 1622)^[12]
8. Thomas (26 Feb 1587-??)^[13]
9. William (1 Dec 1588-27 Jun 1619)^[14]
10. Elizabeth (21 Aug 1590-??)^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ Perry of London: A Family and a Firm on the Seaborne Frontier, 1615-1753 Author: Jacob M Price Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1992.Google Preview
2. ↑ Spanish Company Charter of 1605 at British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-record-soc/vol9/pp95-113
3. ↑ St. Edmund, Exeter parish record images on findmypast.co.uk for 1621 burial of Richard Perry $subscription image Southwest Heritage Trust Archive Reference 3006A/PR/1/1
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} findmypast.co.uk South West Heritage Trust Devon Burials Archive Reference 3006A/PR/1/1 $subscription
5. ↑ St. Edmund, Exeter parish record images on findmypast.co.uk for 1622 burial of Edward Perry $subscription
6. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NB3V-565 : 20 March 2020), Phillip Perry, 1577.
7. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7SM-1YZ : 20 March 2020), Richard Perry, 1578.
8. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N5WP-BQV : 20 March 2020), Roger Perry, 1579.
9. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N5WP-YZP : 20 March 2020), Richard Perry, 1580.
10. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NB3V-PNP : 20 March 2020), John Perry, 1581.
11. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7S9-M2H : 20 March 2020), Osen Perry, 1584.
12. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7S9-MX9 : 20 March 2020), Edward Perry, 1585.
13. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N5WP-P2Y : 20 March 2020), Thomas Perrye, 1586.
14. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N5W5-989 : 20 March 2020), William Perry, 1588.
15. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J3X9-87Q : 20 March 2020), Elizabeth Perrye, 1590.