Richard Orton BA (1596 - 1634)

Born 1596 in Orton on the Hill, Leicestershire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Nicholls) Halford — married 1628 in St Peter's Church, Tilton on the Hill, Leicestershire, England

Descendants

Died 1634 at about age 38 in Orton on the Hill, Leicestershire, England

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Biography

Richard Orton was born in 1596. He passed away in 1634.

Richard was born and lived at Lea Grange, Orton-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire. England. ^[1].

Marriage

Richard married Mary (Nicholls) Halford (abt.1608-abt.1635) on 24 September 1628, in St Peter’s Church at Tilton, Leicestershire. ^[2][3] She was a co-heiress of William (Nicholls) Nicols (abt.1568-1625) and his wife, Joyce Gifford (-abt.1643). ^[4]

Children

Richard and Mary had children, The post mortem inquisition refers to some of their children:

1. Richard Orton BA (1629-abt.1690) baptised 31 December 1629 in St James Church, Twycross, Leicestershire. ^{[5] [6][7]}
2. Roger Orton (1631-) baptised 11 August 1631 in St James Church, Twycross ^[8]
3. Mary Orton
4. Elizabeth Orton (abt.1630-) baptised June 1634 in St James Church, Twycross ^[9]

Life Story

Richard was admitted, in 1612, to Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, he matriculated on 15 February 1613.; son of Richard also at Cambridge (St John's) and father of Richard, another alumni (Christ's Coll) ^[10]

Richard's pedigree back to his grandfather, is given in the Visitation of London, 1634. He is described as being of Le Grange. He is shown in the City of London ward of 'Bridge Within'. A small ward next to London Bridge. ^[11] This entry was due to his brothers William and Edward being London based merchants. The family are also recorded in the 1619 Visitation to Leicestershire. Perehaps he had a London home too? He also appears in the pedigree recorded for the Visitation of Leicestershire in 1619. ^[12]

Richard’s siblings appear to be merchants, his occupation, if any, is unclear. He is described as a gentleman and he oversaw Lea Grange; a manor that was 230 acres that would have generated agricultural income.

There is evidence that he was involved widely in buying and selling land and property. E.g., In 1622, Richard entered in to an indenture for property with others: Indenture between William Bothe of Witton, gent., Thomas Dilke of Maxstoke Castle, Esq., Fisher Dilke of Packhurst, co. War., gent., Richard Orton of Lea Grange, co. Leic., gent, and Richard Fox of Moselye, gent., and Joseph Fox his son, concerning lands and premises in the Lordship of Witton, in Witton, Aston, Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Handsworth and Perry. These lands near Birmingham are mentioned in his will proved in 1636. ^{[13] [14]}

Richard and Mary’s daughter, Elizabeth Orton (abt.1630-) married Sam Jervis and she became the mother-in-law to the celebrated Dr Samuel Johnson who married their daughter, Elizabeth (Betty) Jervis. Whilst one of Richard and Mary's sons, Richard Orton BA (1629-abt.1690) married Sam Jervis’s sister, Catherine (Jervis) Orton (abt.1630-). ^[15][16]

Marriages bonded the Nicholls and Jervis families who were Puritan, but there is no indication whether or not his Orton family was.

Richard’s widow, Mary married Andrew Halford of Wistow, Leicestershire as his third wife. ^[17] (He was a son of Sir Richard Halford Bt, Kt. Sheriff of Leicestershire) . Mary and Andrew had a son, Sir Thomas Halford Bt. who succeeded as the 2nd Halford Baronet and was also a Sheriff of Leicester.

Death

Richard died on 19 March 1634 aged 38 years and was buried at St Edith’s of Polesworth Church in Orton on the Hill on the next day, 20 March. ^{[18] [19]}

Post mortem inquisition for Richard Orton, gent., taken at Leicester on 22 May, 11 Charles I, 1635. The jury say that, Richard died seised of Ley grange and 4 messuages and 11 virgates of land in Orton-on-the-Hill and of a yearly rent of 4d. issuing from another messuage in Atherston, co. Warwick. On 17 March, in Charles I, 1635, by a deed made between Richard Orton, of the 1st. part, and William Orton of London, haberdasher, and Edward Orton, of London, ironmonger, of the other part, and for his natural love for Roger Orton, Mary Orton and Elisabeth Orton, the younger children of him, Richard Orton, lie enfeoffed the aforesaid William Orton and Edward Orton in lie above property in Orton on the hill, as trustees to hold to the uses specified in the said deed. Richard Orton died on 19 May last. Richard Orton is his son and heir and was 5 years old on 31 Dec, last. Ley grange was held of the king in chief by knight service, namely, by a fortieth part of a knight's fee. The tithes of Orton were held of the king as of his manor of East Greenwich in free and common socage. Other lands were held of Robert Bradshaw esq. as of his manor of Orton on the hill, by fealty and a yearly rent of 6s. 5d. in common socage, and worth 31s. ^[20][21]

Sources

1. ↑ History and Antiquities of Leicestershire . (Visitation of Leicestershire 1619, pg 864) Pedigree of Orton or Overton of Lea Grange [1] University of Leicester Special Collections, Nichols.
2. ↑ "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ", database, FamilySearch : 13 March 2020 Richard Orton, 1628
3. ↑ St Peter's Tilton Church Records [2]
4. ↑ Gibson Family History [3]
5. ↑ Alumni Cantabrigienses
6. ↑ Burke, B. 1878, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, ... Vol. II, p. 734
7. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch : 19 September 2020 Richard Orton in entry for Richard Orton, 1629.
8. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch : 19 September 2020 Richard Orton in entry for Roger Orton, 1631.
9. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch : 19 September 2020 Richard Orton in entry for Elizabeth Orton, 1634.
10. ↑ Alumni Cantabrigienses
11. ↑ Saint-George, Richard.,  The Visitation of London: Anno Domini 1633, 1634, and 1635. Made by Sir Henry St. George, Kt., Richmond Herald, and Deputy and Marshal to Sir Richard St. George, Kt., Clarencieux King of Armes. United Kingdom: n.p., 1880. pg 131 [4] accessed 16.6.2022
12. ↑ Vincent, Augustine., Lennard, Samson., Camden, William. The Visitation of the County of Leicester in the Year 1619. United Kingdom: Harleian Society, 1870 [5] accessed 16.6.2022
13. ↑ Will of Richard Orton Chancery records
14. ↑ Birmingham Archives (UK) Sale & Tenancy Record 4 May 1620
15. ↑ Read, A L. Johnsonian Gleanings The Jervis Family of Great Peatling part VII
16. ↑ Reade, A L. 1906 The Reades of Blackwood Hill and Dr. Johnson's Ancestry, (pp. 235-6)
17. ↑ Gibson Family History [6]
18. ↑ "England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991," database, FamilySearch : 6 June 2018 Richard Orton, 20 Mar 1634; records extracted by findmypast, images digitized by FamilySearch; citing Burial, Orton on the Hill, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, page 30, citing the Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland, Wigston, UK.
19. ↑ Reade, A L . Johnsonian Gleanings: Orton-on-the-Hill. Inquisition p.m. Richard Orton, gent., Series ii, 528-71.
20. ↑ Reade, A L. Johnsonian Gleanings: Orton-on-the-Hill. Inquisition p.m. Richard Orton, gent., Series ii, 528-71.
21. ↑ Farnham, G. Extracts From Leicestershire Medieval Family Notes. Vol III

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