The first known attempt to carry out any systematic general research into the Rayment surname was made in the 1960s by the late John Leonard Rayment FSG of Ongar in Essex, England.

In the early 1980s a small group of unrelated British people comprising David Rayment of Bristol, Roy Rayment of Romford, Sylvia Bailey of Billericay and Michele Snook of Heathfield, each of whom had independently been researching their Rayment ancestors, decided to co-operate and and later to form a Rayment Society.

The Society broadened its research to include the more common variants of the Rayment surname such as Raiment, Raymant, Raymond and Raymont, as a result of which the Society's records now encompass more than twenty similar names.

Since the beginning, a nucleus of volunteers contributed much of their time, effort and money to the Society in order to avoid the introduction of membership subscription fees etc. However, by the end of 1997 the constant increase in membership numbers and the increase in expenditure on research work and printing costs, it became evident that the volunteers, could no longer afford to fund the Society entirely from their own resources and so the decision was taken at the next General Meeting to introduce both a joining fee for new members and a small membership subscription, in order to help defray the cost of running the Society.

A large quantity of data has been collected and new information is contantly being added. Probably of the greatest significance are the complete sets of records of all RAYMENT and variant entries in the GRO indexes which used to be held at London's Family Records Centre, consisting of births, marriages, deaths, adoptions, military records (including baptisms from 1761) and overseas (including Consular) records.

Other important records of RAYMENTS held include complete sets of Probate Calendar Book extracts, an index to PCC Wills and Administrations, photocopies and transcriptions of all known English and Welsh Wills and Administrations, IGI extracts, numerous census returns, parish register extracts, monumental inscriptions, burial records, newspaper cuttings, correspondence, electoral registers, world-wide telephone directory listings, Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, United States Social Security Death Index, many photographs, and a large number of birth, marriage and death certificates.

The Rayment Society operates a number of websites, the primary one being www.rayment.org

Roy Rayment can normally be reached by calling the Rayment Society's London Helpdesk, the telephone number of which is 01708 - 509027.

Guild members may access some of the records selected from Roy Rayment's One-Name Study by clicking here

Rayment Society members can access all of the Society's on-line records by visiting www.rayment.info but, since these records belong to the Rayment Society (and not to Roy himself) they are only available to the Society's members.