Biography of Reason Mellish (1627-1688), and the Mellish, Condon, Rankin and Crawley families of Ragnall
Reason was the eldest son of Robert Mellish of Ragnall, Nottinghamshire, and his wife Mary Saunderson. Reason's uncle John Mellish (1597-1677) bought the Blyth estate in Nottinghamshire from the Saunderson family in 1635.
Reason matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1647 and studied at Padua and Leyden before entering the Inner Temple in 1651. He was a Commissioner of Sewers for the Level of Hatfield Chase in 1660, and succeeded his father to the Ragnall estate in around 1674.
He was a JP, and Deputy Lieutenant for Nottinghamshire c.1685-1688. In 1685 he entered Parliament for the county of Nottingham, under the influence of Sir George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax, and served until 1687.
His surviving sons Charles, Edward and Robert were wards of their cousin Edward Mellish of Blyth Hall (1633-1703).
Family
He married Anne, daughter of Robert Metham of Bullington, Lincolnshire, and had:
- Robert (born Feb. 1662/3), presumably died in childhood
- Reason (bap. 1 Jan. 1665/6), presumably died in childhood
- William (bap. 12 Dec. 1669), presumably died in childhood
- Charles (1671-1713), inherited the Ragnall estate. Entered Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 1688. m. Elizabeth Bostock (d 1742), daughter of Lady Nevill, and had:
- Elizabeth, m. in 1718 Colonel Thomas Condon (1691-1759) and had:
- Charles Condon (d 1781), inherited the Ragnall estate and changed his name to Mellish. Married, and had:
- Mary Mellish
- Frances Mellish, died before 1781
- Elizabeth Condon, m. Captain Rankin, and had:
- Elizabeth Rankin (d 1813), married Samuel Crawley (d 1805), in 1788. Purchased the Ragnall and Dunham estate, and had:
- William Crawley. Sold the Ragnall and Dunham estate, 1819
- Edward (1673-1708), inherited the Badbury estate in the parish of Chiseldon, Wiltshire, married Bridget Eldridge, and had:
- Edward (b 1696)
- William (1699-1761), born in Badbury, Wiltshire
- Charles (b 1703), born in Badbury, Wiltshire
- 1 other son
- Dorothy (b 1695), m. - Beresford
- Jane (b 1698), born in Badbury, Wiltshire
- Ann (b 1700), born in Badbury, Wiltshire. m. Richard Splatt
- Mary (b 1704), born in Badbury, Wiltshire
- 1 other daughter
- Robert, died unmarried. Merchant in Aleppo, Turkey
- Jane (1668-), m. Anthony Sanderson in 1687
Archive Collections
- Papers relating to Reason Mellish and his family are part of the Mellish Collection held in Manuscripts and Special Collections at the University of Nottingham