Rev. John Robert Wright Sr Esq

Question

I noticed that I was connected to Robert de Vere through a newly merged Wright ancestor and when I corrected Sir John "of South Weald" Wright I noticed his father was a married priest who died 8 years before Luther started the reformation. That's odd.

Questions:

• A middle name in the 15th century?
• "eminent theologian of Dagnams near South Weald" This phrasing is repeated in multiple Wright family histories, otherwise I can't find any evidence of his eminence. I think Dagnams is abbreviated from Dagenhams Manor in Romford which was purchased by a decendant Dr. Thomas Wright in 1633, and is down the road from South Weald and Upminster.
• I looked into the advowson of Upminster - he or one of his descendants possibly purchased it from the Vaux family since a recusant John Wright of Kelvedon held the advowson until his death in 1609 but the King presented in for the minor Edward Vaux, 4th Lord Vaux so maybe it was a kind of lease, or it was forfeit. 
• Apparently his greatgrandchildren were known recusants and many descendants were Catholics. The Wright family histories to emphasize their Protestantism, but that's somewhat common in England in the 17th century (not so much in the 15th...)
• The Wrights were almost certainly yeoman until John bought Kelvedon Hall, so I'm unclear the connection to 'Dagenham's manor' The manor in Dagenham was owned by the Barking Abbey until the dissolution, Dagnams above was owned during his supposed lifetime by Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, Avery Cornburgh, Sir William Hussey and Sir John Hussey.
• The link 'Wright Genealogy' fuels these tales, no other sources. 
• Why was he married in Cheshire? 
• All 6 PMs thought that all this stuff made sense?
• The Wright one name study had no questions?
• With such a questionable pedigree, are the DNA matches actually valid? 

He connects to the Wright Brothers and their father was an avid genealogist (again read that link), so maybe I'm challenging the family lore. 

 

Comments

Well the first "source" I clicked on said "there have been many Wright centenarians".  Which only proves that some people will believe anything.

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Needs someone to go to the Essex records office. There are several histories/pedigrees  of this family in the catalogue, it may be that some are better researched than others.

 very quick search of catalogue also found

Crown grant of manor of Dagenhams to Laurence Wright, physician, 1637

Conveyance (Bargain & Sale) for £493 6s. 8d.
Ric. Bollys of Haugh (co. Lincs.), esq., to John Wright of S. Weald, yeo.
Manor and advowson of Kelvedon Hatch.  1538

wills of Joan Wight, 1584, Olive Wright 1560, John Wright 1599 (online with subscription)

http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/Default.aspx?SearchDocs=1&intSearchType=12

 

 

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10 successive generations of John Wrights.  Bart Simpson could do that tree on the blackboard.

Doubt if Sir John William Wright-290 was one of them though.  I guess his brother John was the real John.  Looks like a fiddle to confuse the Kelvedon line with a junior (or unrelated?) line.

Presumably it was a younger brother or cousin who bought Dagenhams and it was never in the senior line.  But these junk pedigrees regularly ignore all such considerations and swap houses wives and kids between 6th cousins.

Haven't had a sniff of any theologian yet though.

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Thanks for all those links above! Hopefully those help the Wright proj.

I found and updated Laurence Wright, physician. His brother was Rev Robert Wright (1556-1624) (see the last paragraph) - he was a Calvinist/Puritan until he conformed after a stint in prison and somewhat eminent. Maybe that's the mixup.

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There's a Dagnams Park next to South Weald.  Now a golf course apparently.  Named for a former owner, Thomas de Dagenham.