Sir Robert Payne, High Sheriff of Cambridge and Huntingdonshire

From "The History and Antiquities of Eynesbury and St. Neot's in Huntingdonshire and of St. Neot's in the County of Cornwall" by George Cornelius Gorham, M.A. (London, 1820):

http://books.google.com/books?id=eHAKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq...

A mutilated brass occupies the centre of the pavement of this Chapel (St. Neot's), to commemorate the decease of Sir Robert Payne, Knight, of Midlow near St. Neot's. The following description is supplied chiefly from the Heralds' Church-notes taken in 1684 (MSS. College of Arms, K.7), and from a Collection of Epitaphs made between 1732 and 1750.

(Monumental Inscriptions in Huntingdonshire, taken by R.S. de W. or R. Smith of Woodstone, 1740-1750: a manuscript in the possession of J. Simmons, Esq., of Paddington House, containing valuable Collections for a County History. It probably contains the unpublished Collections of J. Clements of Allwalton, begun in 1732. A singular mistake has been made by Mr. Noble respecting this person: misled by the word "Visitation," which he understood in the Heraldic sense, he thus comments on Gough: "Mr. Gough says, 'Ashbe has a printed undated receipt for 5 shillings, for a Visitation by J. Clements'; as there is no such Herald as J.C., we must suppose he was only a "Riding Painter" to some Clarenceux, or else to one of the Marshals or other agent of theirs." [Noble's History of the College of Arms, Appendix, p. xxvii]. Mr. C. was merely a private collector who issued a prospectus for publishing "Notitia Ecclesiastica, or A Visitation of All the Churches in Huntingdonshire," which prspectus - enclosed in a letter to Browne Willis - is preserved in the Bodleian Library, MSS Willis, Vol. XXXIX: the above-mentioned receipt is nothing more than an acknowledgement for a subscription to his proposed work.)

Below is a brass plate with the following inscription (now nearly effaced):

"Here lies interred the body of Sir Robert Payne, Knight, deceased the 18th day of June, Ano Domeni 1631, aged 58 years, who marryed Elizabeth, the daughter of George Rotheram of Someris in Com. Bedford, Esq.; by whome he had issue 5 sonns and 6 daughters.

"This mourning vault of death, that must retayne as pledge awhile the dust of honoured Payne, is but his tombe, nor can it styled be a monument of him; his memorie, and fame on earth, with those good deeds he sent to heaven before him, are his monument. The country's tears, farr better than this stone, will tell the reader noble Payne is gone; ask them, not mee; they feel the loss of him, and will for ever keep his just esteem."

In the center of the stone, inlaid in brass, was the figure of a Knight in a kneeling posture, and of a Lady by his side (remaining about 1732). At the head were two shields: 1. [Azure] a Bend ragule between 6 Etoiles [Or], for Payne (still remaining); 2. Party per pale: on the dexter side, the Coat of Payne; on the sinister, [Vert] 3 Stags trippant [Or], for Rotheram, (gone).

(The Crest for Payne was - A Beaver passant Or in Grass Vert, in his mouth a Fish Argent (MSS. Harl. 1179. Visitation for Huntingdonshire 1613). The same Crest [the Beaver proper] was noticed by Sir Robert Cotton in the Hall at Midlow, in stained glass "in a window i' th' little parlor," with the Arms of Waterton in 12 quarterings (MSS Lansdowne 921. p. 67). The Crest was, no doubt, taken from the latter family: for Robert Payne, Esq. of St. Neot's father of Sir Robert Payne of Midlow, married Maria, daughter of Sir Robert Watertown of Waterton, Yorkshire (MSS. Harl. 1179).

Sir Robert Payne was Sheriff of Cambridge and Huntingdonshire in 1607. In the Visitation of Huntingdonshire of 1613 and 1684, his family is traced as resident in St. Neot's from the time of Elizabeth to the end of the reign of Charles II. (MSS Harl. 1179; and MSS College of Arms, K.7) The last notice of the Paynes occurs (in St. Neot's Vestry Records) about the middle of the last century (circa 1750s).

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From 'Parishes: Midloe', A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 2 (1932), pp. 318-319. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42507 Date accessed: 11 April 2011.

There is neither a church nor a village; the population, which in 1921 numbered 33, being scattered in farmhouses and labourers' cottages. Midloe Grange, a short distance from the southern boundary, apparently marks the site of the grange of Warden Abbey, mentioned in the 12th century.

The present house was probably built by Robert Payne, of St. Neots, about 1590. He, his son, Sir Robert Payne, and grandson, another Robert, are described as of Midloe and doubtless lived here. The house is timber framed and plastered, with a tiled roof. It consists of a central block and two wings. The southern wing, which formerly projected, has been under-built and the northern wing was lengthened on the west side in the 18th century. The house was surrounded by a moat, the east side of which has been filled in.

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In 1590 the manor (at Midloe) was conveyed by Sir Henry Darcy and his wife Katherine, Katherine Darcy their daughter, John Darcy, John Dorrington, and John Bedell to Robert Payne, of St. Neots. (fn. 18) The title seems still, however, to have been in dispute, and Chancery proceedings were instituted by Robert Payne against Thomas Pagett to recover the deeds of the manor lately purchased by him from Sir Henry Darcy. (fn. 19)

A further conveyance was made in 1594 by John Baldwyn (fn. 20) to Robert Payne, who as Robert Payne of Midloe, gent., died at Midloe in 1603, leaving a son and heir Robert. (fn. 21) Sir Robert Payne, kt., who lived at the manor house, and was described as of Midloe in the Visitation of 1613, and his son and heir Robert (aged nine at the time of the Visitation) were dealing with the manor in 1629. (fn. 22)

They had parted with it before 1634, in which year Sir Martin Lumley, kt., citizen and alderman of London, died in the parish of St. Peter, Westcheap, London, seised of the manor and of a messuage called Mulshoe, and left a son and heir Martin. (fn. 23)

Footnotes:

18. Feet of F. Hunts. Trin. 32 Eliz.; Visit. of Hunts. (Camden Soc.) 64.

19. Cal. Proc. in Chan. r. Qn. Eliz. (Rec. Com.) ii, 300.

20. Feet of F. Hunts. Mich. 36 and 37 Eliz.

21. Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. ii), cclxxxi, 53.

22. Lansd. MS. 921, fol. 40; Feet of F. Hunts. East. 4 Chas. I.

23. Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. ii) cccclxxvi, 58.

24. Lansd. MS. 921, fol. 40.

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And lastly a contact person to collaborate with about this family:

http://www.st-neots.co.uk/genealogy.htm

PAYNE family "Firstly, I would like to thank the several resident's of St. Neot's who assisted me on my recent visit! (Oct. '99).

I would like any references or comments on the PAYNE family resident in St. Neot's and Beds. who seem to have arrived in St. Neot's by the 1500's, beginning with Robert PAYNE, great-grandfather of Sir Robert PAYNE, of St. Neot's, soldier of "Medlow", knighted May 22, 1605.

Sir Robert PAYNE was a subscriber of the London Company of Virginia of 1609 and family traditions are that his brothers or sons, John and William PAYNE (possibly a Thomas as well) emigrated to America by the 1630's. Sir Robert did not mention any brothers or sons with these names in his genealogical chart according to Lord Howard of Norroy College of Arms in the 1930's.

However, Sir Robert went to the same school as both Samuel PEPYS and Oliver Cromwell.

Sir Robert is said to be a descendant of the Ipswich, Suffolk (later Norfolk) PAINE family of the 1400's. Several PAYNE's were employed by Samuel PEPYS.

This, as other evidence, suggest the possibility that these PAYNE's had an association of unknown origin to Sir Robert. Sir Robert married Elizabeth ROTHERHAM.

I do not know if Sir Robert's descendant's include the PAYNE's that founded the PAINE PLC or the Flowery. It seems likely as the population in those days was so small.

I would appreciate (very much!) any information on this family.

I have made extensive research on the PAYNE family which can be found at http://papayne.rootsweb.com"

- Patrick A. Payne papayne@atl.mediaone.net

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http://www.icon.net/~sdcaller/paynejhn.htm Active in community affairs, John Payne was appointed to a number of offices, including collector of tithes for Lancaster County in 1655 and 1656. "The Paynes of Virginia" indicates that John Payne either collected tithes from or otherwise associated with the following men "in a way suggesting that they were in a general sense his neighbors": Major John Carter, Rowland Lawson, Thomas Brice, Thomas Powell, William White, the Grymes family, William Newsam, John Merriman, Richard Merriman, Raleigh Travers, Elias Edmonds, William Clapham and John Jones. Others with whom he was associated after moving to Rappahannock include Major John Weir, Thomas Erwin, John Jennings, Capt. Henry Fleet, Thomas Hawkins, Thomas Wright, David Warren, Thomas Lucas, William Lane, Alexander Fleming, Silvester Thatcher, John Ayres and John Barrow. Observations: All of these people were neighbors.

Robert Payne was probably the son of the Earlier John Payne, the original imigrant to the Colony and that neighborhood and associated with the William Clapham sr. and with John Mayo as a neighboring land owner. Robert Payne is in the next generation and as shown above is a near neighbor of Spicer and Valentine Mayo. In the next generation.

William Clapham who imported Vallentine Mayo was probably the son of William Clapham Sr. Who was already dead by that time as his will indicates in 1659. Vallentine is in the same generation as William Clapham Jr. and Arthur Spicer. And he is probably the son of the John Mayo in the earlier generation, a neighbor and already a land owner in 1660’s. So, two generations, Two William Claphams and native born people getting credit for transporting other native born people. William Clapham even got 55 acres for transporting his wife. Who was the widow of another man in the colony, one Apahroditus Lawson.

http://genforum.genealogy.com/mayo/messages/3892.html

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