Polly - been quiet here so far today so I have had a chance to take another look through what you have offered.
I hope you have not made any serious updates to your files just yet!!
John Eddy married Mary Grose 1st January 1766 St JustJohn Eddy married Mary Williams 2nd November 1772 St JustThat there is the beginning the problem and part of the reason I have not yet returned to the pre-1810 Eddy families of St Just.
You mention that James (bapt. 1772) was the 1st son of John and Mary but I will show you that this cannot be possible.
James was baptised
5th January 1772John m. Mary Williams
2nd November 1772James must therefore belong to the family of John Eddy and Mary Grose who married 1st January 1766.
And they had a son John baptised at St Just 3rd November 1767.
My problems here are a little complex firstly because I might have expected another one or two children between 1767 and 1772 for the earlier marriage.
But then we get an overlap where children baptised after November 1772 might belong to either marriage.
Two couples named John and Mary is one problem but then add the possibility that children were baptised without the mother's name being recorded.
Here is a time-line for children of John Eddy baptised at St Just between 1760 and 1800. (I have omitted the first three entries as they all occurred prior to the first marriage we are interested in and there is a seven year gap between the third of those and the first entry that causes major conflict.)
1st January 1766 - John Eddy married Mary Grose3rd November 1767 - John son of John and Mary
5th January 1772 - James son of John and Mary
2nd November 1772 - John Eddy married Mary Williams 30th October 1774 - Mary daughter of John
4th November 1776 - William son of John and Mary
28th July 1781 - John Eddy married Joan Casley4th November 1781 - Jane daughter of John and Joan
29th November 1781 - John son of John
1st January 1782 - Rachel daughter of John and Mary
9th November 1782 - John Eddy married Rachel Warren2nd February 1783 - Joan daughter of John and Joan
3rd November 1783 - John son of John and Mary
7th July 1784 - Alice daughter of John and Mary
7th November 1784 - John son of John and Joan
26th March 1786 - Susanna daughter of John and Mary
23rd April 1786 - Alice daughter of John and Mary
29th October 1786 - Christian daughter of John and Joan
3rd November 1788 - Margaret daughter of John and Mary
28th January 1789 - Thomas son of John and Rachel
25th June 1789 - Richard son of John and Mary
2nd November 1790 - Henry son of John and Mary
21st April 1794 - Peter son of John and Mary
31st October 1796 - Margery daughter of John and Mary
31st October 1796 - Jane daughter of John and Mary
That should give a little picture of the quandary!
I believe I have now successfully (
) thrown your theory about Richard's connection to James into some disarray!
James is obviously the son of the marriage to Mary Grose but Richard could be a later son of that same marriage or a son of the marriage to Mary Williams.
There is nothing to indicate a second marriage for anyone involved here so I am working on the assumption that we have two separate families of John and Mary Eddy.
Baptism entries for 1786 seem to indicate that the earlier John and Mary were still about.
And the entries for 3rd November 1788 and 25th June 1789 are close enough together to suggest the same.
So let's work on Alice for a moment and see if that leads anyway.
Alice d/o John and Mary was baptised 7th July 1784
Alice d/o John Eddy was buried 3rd April 1785 at St Just
Alice d/o John and Mary was baptised 23rd April 1786
I would think this is all for the one family and that means that Susanna (bp. 26th March 1786) belongs to the other couple.
Although not appearing until 14 years after John and Mary were married Susanna suggests that this John was probably the one baptised 16th August 1749 son of John and Susanna at St Just.
In either case there is still another problem.
Between 1772 and 1883 there are only four baptisms that might belong between two families.
And that is a long period of time for so few children to so many people!
And then from 1783 onwards there is a glut of baptisms.
I also find it a little strange that RACHEL daughter of John and Mary is baptised 1st January 1782 and then on 9th November 1782 John Eddy marries Rachel Warren.
AND THEN there seems to be no record for a child of John and Rachel until Thomas is baptised in 1789!
Sorry, but I am afraid I can still not comfortably assign any of these people.
Although I am inclined to the view that 'your' Richard was the one baptised as Richard Grenfell Eddy 3rd May 1785 to James and Honour.
And I am reasonably happy that James was the son of John and Susanna.
CT