John Smith, Kt.

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Smith,_John_(1534%3F-1607)_(DNB00)

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"John...inherited the manor [of Little Baddow in Essex] but spent much time abroad, serving with distinction in foreign armies and being sent by the English government on diplomatic missions. He was knighted in 1576. He acquired the manors of Little Baddow Hall, Graces, Riffhams and Mowden Hall (in Hatfield Peverel), but, owing to financial difficulties, in 1577 mortgaged Mowden Hall and Graces to Lord Burleigh and another. Finally he sold all his lands except Little Baddow and Tofts manors. From 1578 he lived at Tofts and became involved in local affairs. John Norden, in his contemporary survey of Essex, described “Tuftes” as “a fayre howse”. At the time of the Armada Sir John trained some regiments of foot raised in Essex and took them to Tilbury to join the army under the Earl of Leicester. He is said to have told Leicester that the rest of the Army was inadequately trained. No doubt some Little Baddow men went with Sir John and might even have been among those who heard Queen Elizabeth make her famous speech at Tilbury. During the 1590s Sir John wrote books on weapons. In June 1596 he was charged with treason and sent to the Tower for some incautious words spoken at Colchester. He apologised and was released on condition he did not go more than one mile from his house. In Little Baddow he died and was buried on 1st September 1607, but no monument remains to perpetuate the memory of one of the most interesting of the lords of the manors."

http://mel-thompson.co.uk/History%20Centre/book%20files/Little%20Ba...

The Rt Worshipful Sir John Smith, Knight, was buried in September 1607

http://www.thesmithsofessex.info/parishes/Little%20Baddow.html