RAY, THOMAS MATTHEW (1801–1881), secretary of the Loyal National Repeal Association, born in 1801, was the son of Matthew Ray of Dublin. Early in life he engaged in the nationalist movement in Ireland, and as secretary of the Trades' Political Union in Dublin attracted the notice of Daniel O'Connell. O'Connell recognised his talents as an organiser, and, when the Precursor Society was founded in 1838, appointed Ray its secretary. Ray transferred his services to the Loyal National Repeal Association on its inauguration on 15 April 1840. ‘The vast correspondence of the association, with branches throughout the country, in Scotland, England, America, and youthful Australia … was carefully watched, and almost exclusively written, by himself, and displayed unerring judgment, tact, and skill’ (Freeman's Journal, 6 Jan. 1881). ‘He possessed,’ wrote Sir C. G. Duffy, ‘remarkable powers of organising and superintending work … a talent rarer in Ireland than the gift of speech … he might be counted upon for seeing done efficiently and silently whatever was ordered’ (Young Ireland, popular ed. p. 67). O'Connell's allocutions on questions of the day were for the next three years generally addressed to ‘My dear Ray.’ Ray rarely spoke at the meetings of the association. In April 1842 he was admitted to Gray's Inn, but he does not appear to have practised law. In 1844 he was one of the traversers charged, with O'Connell, with exciting disaffection in Ireland, and was condemned to imprisonment. But the decision was reversed on appeal to the House of Lords in September. On the dissolution of the association, Ray obtained the post of assistant registrar of deeds in Ireland, and held the office for many years. He died at 5 Leinster Road, Rathmines, Dublin, on 5 Jan. 1881, and was buried in Glasnevin.
He published ‘A List of the Constituency of the City of Dublin, arranged in dictionary order,’ 8vo, Dublin, 1835?
[Shaw's Report of Irish State Trials, 1844; Fitzpatrick's Correspondence of O'Connell; Register of Admissions to Gray's Inn; Lives of O'Connell by Luby and O'Keeffe; authorities cited in text.]
RAYMAN, JACOB (fl. 1620–1650), violin-maker, is said to have been a Tyrolese by birth, and to have come to London in 1620; but this conjecture is not confirmed by Rayman's work, which bears no trace of foreign influence, and he may have been connected with the Rayman family settled in Sussex (cf. Berry, Sussex Genealogies). In 1641 Rayman was living in Blackman Street, Southwark; he then removed to Bell Yard, Southwark, where he remained till 1648. He is regarded as the founder of violin-making in England, no previous English maker being known; ‘his instruments, albeit rough, have plenty of character, well-cut scrolls, and superb varnish’ (The Strad, iii. 77); but, according to Fleming, his violins are inferior to his violoncellos, his work on which has not been surpassed.
[Authorities quoted; Fleming's Fiddle Fancier's Guide, 1892, p. 103; Pearce's Violins, p. 68; Grove's Dict. of Music, ii. 163 a, iv. 281 a; Heron-Allen's De Fidiculis Bibliographia; Hart's Violins and Violin Makers, pp. 168, 200.]
RAYMOND le Gros (d. 1182), invader of Ireland. [See Fitzgerald, Raymond.]
RAYMOND, ROBERT, Lord Raymond (1673–1733), lord chief-justice, only son of Sir Thomas Raymond [q. v.], by his wife Anne, daughter of Sir Edward Fishe, bart., born on 20 Dec. 1673, was educated at Eton and admitted pensioner of Christ's College, Cambridge, in Nov. 1689, aged 15, afterwards becoming a fellow-commoner. By his father's special request, he was admitted, at the age of nine (1 Nov. 1682), of Gray's Inn, where he was called to the bar on 12 Nov. 1697. Devoting himself to the law with assiduity, he began reporting during his pupilage and continued it almost to the close of his life. Nor had he to wait for briefs (see his report of his own very learned argument in Pullein v. Benson, Mich. 1698). In Easter term 1702 he appeared for the crown in the prosecution of Richard Hathaway (fl. 1702) [q. v.], the would-be witch-finder. On 19 April 1704 his ingenious argument secured the acquittal of David Lindsay, a Scotsman, charged with high treason under the statute 9 Will. III, c. 1, which construed as treason the unlicensed return to England of persons who had gone to France without license since 11 Dec. 1688.
On the triumph of the tory party in 1710 Raymond, who had hitherto taken little part in politics, received the office of solicitor-general, 13 May, and was knighted 24 Oct. following, having in the meanwhile been returned to parliament (10 Oct.) for Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, which seat he retained at the general election of September 1713. His name is found in a list of the commissioners of sewers dated 13 June 1712. On the accession of George I he was removed from office, 14 Oct. 1714, and though he secured his return to parliament for Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, 29 Jan. 1714–15, he was unseated on petition on 12 April 1717, having in the interim delivered a weighty speech, his only
