Earl of Ratcliffe?

Question

i was looking up some of my family's genealogy and found a father, whose only identification that i can find is Earl of Ratcliffe. the son was born in Lancaster, England. does anyone have any info that could help?

Answer 1

As far as I can see there was never an "Earl of Ratcliffe".

The Ratcliffe family were earls of Essex and Sussex e.g. Henry Ratcliffe, 4th Earl of Sussex b. c 1532 &

Robert Ratcliffe, 5th Earl of Essex b. a 1559, d. 22 Sep 1629

and there was Edward Ratcliffe, 2nd Earl of Derwentwater b. 9 Dec 1655, d. 29 Apr 1705. and among others, James Bartholomew Radclyffe, 4th Earl of Newburgh+ b. 23 Aug 1725, d. 2 Jan 1787  But there has never been an Earl Ratcliffe.

The surname or last name Ratcliffe is not an uncommon name and has a variety of sources of origin :

Ratcliffe

Recorded in the spellings of Radcliff, Radcliffe, Ratcliffe, Radclyffe, and Radecliffe, this surname is of pre 7th century English origins. It is a locational name from the various places in England such as the villages of Ratcliffe in the counties of Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, Radcliffe in Lancashire and Nottinghamshire, Redcliffe in Bristol and Warwickshire, Radclive in Buckinghamshire, and Rathclyffe and Rathcliffes in the county of Devon. The place name and hence the later surname, derives from the Old English word 'read' meaning red plus 'clif' meaning a cliff or sometimes a riverbank. The surname is very early and dates from the late 12th Century (see below). Early examples of recordings taken from surviving rolls and registers of the medieval period include: William de Radeclive of Lancashire in 1272, and Willelmus de Radclif in the Poll Tax records of Yorkshire in 1379. Later examples include John Ratcliffe, the son of Anthony Ratcliffe, christened at the church of St. Bartholomew Exchange, in the city of London, in 1569, and James, the son of Thomas Radcliffe, christened at St. Margaret's, Westminster, on June 25th 1634. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter de Radeliva. This was dated 1182, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Devonshire, during the reign of King Henry 11nd of England, 1154 - 1189.

+

Ratcliff: origin & meaning:

English: habitational name from any of the places, in various parts of England, called Ratcliff(e), Radcliffe, Redcliff, or Radclive, all of which derive their names from Old English rēad ‘red’ + clif ‘cliff’, ‘slope’, ‘riverbank’.

Answer 2

I found the son's name (below) on a "Peerage forum" website that gave me this info to go on:

From www.rootsweb.com

James RATCLIFFE (the son)

Birth: ABT 1800 in Isle of Mann

Death:

          Married:

"Mother R "--dates unknown

       Children:

ANN RATCLIFFE (Occupation: MERCHANT)

Birth: 9 MAR 1823 in Isle of Mann  

Death: 20 JUN 1886 in COURTLAND, VA

Burial: Riverside Cem, Courtland, VA

Ann :  Married: 1841 to

JOHN YATES (Occupation: SADDLER )

Birth: 1815 in Liverpool, England  

Death: 8 MAR 1856 in SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY

Burial: Kilby Simmons' farm, near Courtland, Va

            Their Children:

1.JAMES R. YATES-- b: 1842 in SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA

2.JANE ELIZA YATES-- b: 8 JUL 1846 in SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA

3. JOHN THOMAS ZACHARY YATES-- b: 4 AUG 1848 in SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA

4. GEORGE WAVERLY YATES-- b: 26 AUG 1853 in SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA

5.WILLIAM Y. YATES-- b: 11 SEP 1855 in SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA

(Hope this helps a little. Couldn't find anything on his father ,Charles Ratcliffe,  anywhere)

Answer 3

I found a fascinating RATCLIFFE site.  It begins with a branch moving to Colonial America, but as you make your way down, you can see a variety of earls, etc.

Hopefully, you can find the specific person you search.  If not, you will still gain a lot of knowledge on this family.

Go to: http://tinyurl.com/6yrn6j