Richard Marchant

  General Notes:

Eldest brother of THOMAS MARCHANT b. 1621
Son of RICHARD b. 1584
Churchwarden at Ditchling 1652/53 and 1658/9 and 1673 and 1675
SUSSEX BELIEVERS BAPTIST MARRIAGES IN17th & 18th CENT
By John Caffyn (Sutton library 929.3 )
The house of Richard Marchant of Ditchling, yeoman, was licenced for Baptis t m e etings in 1672. In 1671 he had been chosen by the Ditchling parishioner s a s a n overseer of the poor, in 1673 he was churchwarden of the parish church ; h e wa s elected again in 1676 and again in 1678, the year he died. (90) Hi s neph ew, P eter followed him as churchwarden in 1674 and 1675, and was survey or in 1 675 an d 1677, overseer of the poor in 1679. We do not know for certai n that Pe ter wa s a Baptist though this seems likely; his three sisters all mar ried int o Baptis t families (and all probably by covenant since no marriage rec ords fo r them hav e ever been found. ) Elizabeth married Michael Martin Bapti st teach er of Frank lands in Keymer, Mary married James Wood of Twineham an ìA nabaptist î, Anne marr ied John Agate of Warnham.
We find in the parish appointments at Ditchling for the second half of the 1 7 t h Century many representatives from other families whom we know were later m ai ns tays of the Baptist community there (there are no Baptist records at Ditch lin g f or this period, so we cannnot make direct connections) ~ the Chatfield s an d th e Martens especially and also the Beals, Jeffreys, Woods, Agates and S outho ns.
Will written 1677 making loving kinsmen William Marchant of Edburton (his 1s t c o usin) and WILLIAM MARCHANT of Hurstpierpoint (his nephew) overseers. Son N icho la s and wife Joan Jenner joint executives. Bequests to son Nicholas and da ughte r E lizabeth. SEE MARCHANT CD ROM.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Baptism, 2 Dec 1610, Henfield, West Sussex England.

Richard married Margery Beard on 31 Mar 1640 in St John Sub Castro, Lewes, East Sussex England. (Margery Beard was born in 1615 and was buried on 6 Dec 1643 in Ditchling, East Sussex England.)

  Marriage Notes:

Lewes Lic dated 31.3.1640
Richard Marchant of Keymer and Margery Beard (or Dairey?) of Ditcheling, wid o w . Sureties said RM and THOMAS MARCHANT of same, yeoman. (St John sub Castro)

Richard next married Joan Jenner circa 1645. (Joan Jenner was born in 1625 and was buried on 15 Jan 1680 in Ditchling, East Sussex England.)