Help Needed to Find JAMES RAYWARD SUSSEX 1786

[ozzieconxtion]

Hi Everyone
I'm hoping someone here maybe be able to guide me in the right direction.
I seem to have come to a complete road block with my Ancestor research.
I'm looking for any information regarding James Rayward (GGGGrandfather), B 10th Oct 1786 Slaugham Sussex Died Jan 1870 Slaugham? Which was on a Gravestone photo on a website.
Married Frances Graimes B 1787 Died Dec 1860
8th Sept 1811 Poynings.
From what I can find he seemed to be a Grocer.
I can't find anything relating to his birth or parents.
One of his sons (GGGrandfather)Abraham Warden RAYWARD B 15 Mar 1829 Slaugham D Oct 1876 Steyning
Married Jemima Elizabeth Cooke 5th Feb 1856 At Nicholas Brighton
Their son Charles Howard Rayward (GGrandfather)B 1860 At Johns Cloyton Died 16th April 1924 Brisbane Australia
And from this point I know.
But James Rayward is a total mystery, and I'll be forever Thankful for some help in solving this Mystery. I'm new to this research and I'm flying blind.
Thank You In Advance.
Cheers
AM

 

[emeltee]

The Bishops Transcripts for Slaugham (a copy of the Parish Register which was sent to the Bishop of the Diocese so he could see what his Vicars had been doing to earn their stipend) are available to view on familysearch. I have been through the images from 1780 to 1790 and there is not a baptism for James Rayward. In fact no Rayward baptisms at all, so , presuming he was baptised and not every baby was, then it must have been in another parish.

Emeltee

 

[ozzieconxtion]

Thanks Emeltee
Looks like he's really going to be a hard mystery to solve.

 

[SallyB52]

Hi AM
I am also new to this so excuse me if I'm stating the obvious! I couldn't find anything, even looking under different spellings of the surname ie Raward, Raywood.etc. But in Ancestry the search did seem to suggest a James Rayward b 1786/7 appears in several other family trees. You could contact the tree owner to see if they have any further information. Best of luck! S

 

[ozzieconxtion]

Thanks Sally😃
Will see what I can do. James is certainly proving elusive.

 

[SallyB52]

Couldn't help but have another quick look. It looks like the spelling of the family name was Raywood in the 1841 census and I am inclined to think that there may be other variations. Do you think he could have been born out of the area? Out of Sussex?

 

[ozzieconxtion]

HI Sally
I'm starting to believe anything is possible for Mr James Rayward. I've seen Raywood, Raward and even Raewood.
He's proving to be very elusive!
It seems the Raywards are pretty much based in Sussex during James and after his timeline.
Cuckfield, Slaugham, Brighton etc
I've been trying to work out where he may have met his wife Frances Graimes etc, it seems her Father was also a Grocer like James.
I must admit I am pulling my hair out.
Thanks again for the help.
Cheers From Australia
AnneMarie

 

[SallyB52]

Hi AnneMarie, from NZ
The reason I asked was that working on the date of birth as being fixed & variations of the surname I came across James Reworth, baptised 29 Oct 1786 in FamilySearch. This was in Rolleston, Nottingham though. Father was George, mother Mary. I know it's a long shot! In my family, long term Norfolk folk, we had one person set off up to Yorkshire for a few years, married, had a few children, & then headed back down to Norfolk. People did move around and there are many inaccuracies in the names & spellings in old records and indexes. Anyway something to check out but may well be a red herring !
Sally

 

[SallyB52]

I also tried to find the death of this James Reworth to try & rule him out, but a quick look hasn't produced anything.

 

[ozzieconxtion]

Thanks Sally
It's worth a look, I'll try and see what I can find on Reworth as well.

 

[solidrock2]

Can't find Abraham Graimes owning a grocer's shop but this could be his wife Martha or maybe his daughter Martha in 1846.

 

[ozzieconxtion]

Thanks Solidrock