Editing John Ray (section)

=== Later life and family ===

After leaving Cambridge in 1663 he spent some time travelling both in Britain and the continent.{{sfn|Vines|1913}} In 1673, Ray married Margaret Oakley of [[Launton]] in Oxfordshire; in 1676 he went to [[Middleton Hall, Warwickshire|Middleton Hall]] near [[Tamworth, Staffordshire|Tamworth]], and in 1677 to Falborne (or [[Faulkbourne]]) Hall in Essex. Finally, in 1679, he removed to his birthplace at [[Black Notley]], where he afterwards remained. His life there was quiet and uneventful, although he had poor health, including chronic sores.{{sfn|Thompson|1911|p=932}} Ray kept writing books and corresponded widely on scientific matters, collaborating with his doctor and contemporary [[Samuel Dale (physician)|Samuel Dale]].<ref name=sage>Morris, A. D. (1974). Samuel Dale (1659-1739), Physician and Geologist. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 67, 120–124. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/003591577406700215</ref> He lived, in spite of his infirmities, to the age of seventy-seven, dying at Black Notley. He is buried in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul where there is a memorial to him. He is widely regarded as one of the earliest of the English [[parson-naturalist]]s.{{sfn|Armstrong|2000|loc=pp.&nbsp;45''ff''}}

[[File:Memorial to John Ray in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul in Black Notley.jpg|thumb|Memorial to John Ray in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul in Black Notley]]
[[File:Close-up of John Ray memorial.jpg|thumb|Close-up of memorial to John Ray]]