Pedigree of Raikes

It is quite possible that Raikes descended from a small family of yeoman farmers in the East Riding of Yorkshire. They became involved in the merchant venturing of the Elizabethan age and then enjoyed a prominent position in the civic and mercantile life of the city of Hull. In the early 18th century a move to the south was followed, within a generation, by branches of the family exploding into the world of national affairs and high society. Not least among them was Robert Raikes, promoter of the Sunday School Movement, who opened his first school in 1780.