John Radcliffe

• John Radcliffe1
• M, #46695, d. 12 April 1497
• Father William Radcliffe1 d. 15 May 1498
• Mother Jane Trafford1
• John Radcliffe was born at of Ordsall, Lancashire, England.1 He married Elizabeth Brereton, daughter of Sir William Brereton and Philippa Hulse, circa 1475.1 John Radcliffe died on 12 April 1497; d.v.p.1
• Family Elizabeth Brereton b. c 1450
• Child
  • Alexander Radcliffe+1 b. c 1476, d. 1548
• Citations
• 1.[S11580] A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. IV, by John Burke, Esq., p. 401.
• From: http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p1554.htm#... ______________________
• John RADCLIFFE
• Died: 14 Apr 1497
• Notes: married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Brereton of Brereton, co. Chester, a kinsman of the Venables and descended from the same stock. John died on the 12 Apr 1497 leaving a family of two sons, Alexander, who succeeded his grandfather, William, and three daughters, Christina, Anna, and Elizabeth
• Father: William RADCLIFFE of Ordsall (Sir)
• Mother: Jane TRAFFORD
• Married: Elizabeth BRERETON
• Children:
  • 1. Alexander RADCLIFFE of Ordsall (Sir Knight)
  • 2. Margaret RADCLIFFE
  • 3. William RADCLIFFE
  • 4. Christina RADCLIFFE
  • 5. Anne RADCLIFFE
  • 6. Elizabeth RADCLIFFE
• From: http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/RADCLIFFE3.htm#John RADCLIFFE1 _______________________
• A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great ..., Volume 4
• https://archive.org/details/genealogicalhera04burk
• https://archive.org/stream/genealogicalhera04burk#page/401/mode/1up
• Pg.401
• Alexander Radclyffe, esq. of Ordshall, who m. Agnes, daughter of Sir William Harrington, knt. of Hornby Castle, in Lancashire, and by her, who died in 1490, liad issue,
  • I. William, his heir.
  • II. Robert ... etc.
• Alexander Radclyffe d. in 1476, and was s by his eldest son,
• William Radclyffe, esq. of Ordshall, who m. Jane, daughter of Sir Edmund Trafford, knt. of Trafl'ord, and by her, who wedded, secondly, James Byron.of Clayton, and, thirdly, Talbot, of Salesbury, had issue,
  • I. John, who m. Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Brereton, knt. of Brereton, in Cheshire, and dying, v. p. 12th April, 1497, left issue,
    • Alexander (Sir), successor to his grandfather.
    • William.
    • Christian, m. to William Hulton, esq.
    • Margery, wife of Thurstan Parr.
    • ____ , m. to Sir Richard Aston, knt. of Middleton.
• William Radclylffe. d. 15th May, 13 Henry VII. and was s. by his grandson.
• Sir Alexander Radclyffe, of Ordshall, knt. high sheriff of Lancashire in 1547, who m. Alice, daughter of Sir John Booth, knt. of Barton, in Lancashire, and had issue, .... etc. ____________________________________
• Breretons of Cheshire, 1100 to 1904 A. D (1904)
• https://archive.org/details/breretonsofchesh00brer
• https://archive.org/stream/breretonsofchesh00brer#page/71/mode/1up
• Pg.71
• Sir William de Brerton VIII., tenth Lord of Brereton, succeeded his grandfather ; died in 1485. His first wife was Matilda, daughter of John Dutton, of Button, widow of Sir William Booth, of Dunham; married in 1478. By her he had six sons: 1, William, died issueless ; 2, Andrew ; 3, Robert ; 4, Roger ; 5, Henry ; 6, Matthew. William married Katherine, daughter of Sir John Byron, of Horestan Castle, Derbyshire ; his second brother. Sir Andrew, succeeded his father as eleventh Lord of Brereton. His second wife was a daughter of Sir Hugh Hulse, of Elwood Hall, Cheshire. By her he had two sons and four daughters: 1. Sir John Brereton, of Lea Hall, whose first wife was Katherine, daughter of Maurice Berkeley, of Beverstone, Gloucester, widow of John, Lord Stourton. By her he had one daughter, Wyburgha, heir of her mother ; she married Sir William Compton, knight. His second wife was Joan, daughter and heiress of Sir Geoffrey Masey, of Hatton, widow of Sir William Stanley. By her he had one son, Philip, who died without issue ; 2, Hugh of Wimbersley, second son, married Anne, daughter of Robert Done, of Utkington ; 3, Elizabeth, wife of John Ratclyffe, of Ordeshall, Lancashire; 4, Jane, wife of Cotton, of Rudware;
• https://archive.org/stream/breretonsofchesh00brer#page/72/mode/1up
• Pg.72
• 5, Eleanor, wife of Hugh Cholmondeley ; 6, Matilda, wife of Thomas Needham, of Shavington. _____________________________

John Radcliff was the father of Anne Radcliff who married our Roger Dalton.

Of note that i entered some ancestors of this John Radcliff in the Radcliff family tree, but i have entered the history here.

The ancestors of John Radcliff:

Complied and edited by Rodney Garth Dalton

Descendants of Ivo de Taillebois, Earl of Anjou:

Generation No. 1

1. Ivo de Taillebois, Earl of Anjou was born 1020 in Anjou, Normandy, France, and died 1094. He married (1) Lucia de Malet. He married (2) Countess Lucy Lucia, of Mercia, daughter of Aelfgar lll and Princess Eifgifu. She was born Abt. 1025 in Mercia, England. He married (3) Judith de Lens.

Notes for Ivo de Taillebois, Earl of Anjou:

Ivo de Tailbois/Taillebois (born in Anjou or Normandy, France in 1020 or 1040). Married Lucia Malet, daughter of Earl Aelfger and granddaughter of Gruffydd, King of Wales. Known as "Baron of Kendal," brother of the Earl of Anjou. Went to England in 1066. Children included Lucia and Nicholas Fitz-Gilbert.

It is suggested that Ivo was married in France prior to his coming with William "The Conqueror". There is research that speculates that his wife was Betrice or he had a daughter Beatrice or he had a daughter Beatrice by Lucy. However, current research suggests that Ivo and Lucy had no children. Ivo was quite old at the time of the invasion and Lucy very young. I would seem their marriage was arranged to save the Manors and lands that belonged to Lucy's family from being confiscated. Thus Ivo became Baron of Kendal etc.

Generation No. 2

2. Aelfred de Tailbois "The2 Englishman" was born 1045 in Anjou, Normandy, France.

Generation No. 3

3. Sir Nicholas Gilbert de Frunesco was born 1070 in Lancashire, England.

Notes for Nicholas de Radeclive:

Nicholas Fitz-Gilbert de Tailbois (born 1097 or 1100). A knight who was given the Manor of Radeclive from his lord, and may have built Radcliffe Tower, in the village of Radcliffe in Lancashire, England. Nicholas took the name "de Radcliffe" meaning of or from Radcliffe. Eventually the last name Tailbois was dropped and Radcliffe took its place in the family lineage. Here the knight established his homestead, the high rock and the wide river providing excellently for defense. Thus began the Radclyffes.

Generation No. 4

4. Henry de Radeclive was born 1124 in Lancashire, England, and died Bef. 1190.

Generation No. 4

4. William de Radeclive was born 1164 in Lancashire, England, and died Abt. 1220.

Notes for William de Radeclive:

William de Radcliffe/Radeclive was appointed High Sheriff of Lancaster in 1194 by Richard the Lionhearted and was one of twelve trust knights of the shire. Married Cecilia de Montbegon. Children included Adam, Geoffrey, and Hugh.

The Montbegons had vast holdings from the Conqueror and on the creation of the Honour of Lancaster by Henry I they were ceded further lands. In 1149, when Stephen temporarily resigned to the Earl of Chester his lands between Ribble and Mersey, the Montbegon holdings were exempt from the grant in a desire to retain the favor of this most powerful baron. Several years after the death of Lady Cecilia, William remarried to Eugenia, who was the daughter of Alexander, who was the son of Uvieth. In 1221, a year after William died, Eugenia sued William's son Adam Radcliffe, for her dower in a third part of Redclyffe, Edgeworth, and Little Lever including lands in Entwistle and Quarlton. Jordan De Quickenlos dispossessed Eugenia and held the estate until 1246 when she recovered it upon his failure to appear in answer to a suit since the boundaries of these lands had been subject to continuous dispute.

Generation No. 5.

5. Adam Radcylffe was born Abt. 1188 in Radcliff Tower, Lancashire, England, and died 1250 in Lancashire, England.

Notes for Adam Radcylffe:

Notes: REF YorkshireP. Living 31 Henry III, 1246. r. 1246, Radcliffe Tower, York, England. His wife was a relative, she was the daughter of Alan, who was a descendant of Gospatric, Earl of Northumberland, the Barons of Kendal, and the Lords of Lancaster. He was a member of the jury at Lancaster Assizes in 1248.

Generation No. 6.

6. Robert Radcylffe was born Abt. 1215 in Lancashire, England, and died 1290.

Generation No. 7.

7. Richard "The Senescha" Radcylffe was born Abt. 1240 in Radcliffe Tower, and died 1290.

Notes for Richard "The Senescha" Radcylffe:

Radclyffe Family History:

The manor of Ordsall lies within a great sweep of the River Irwell, and forms the southern portion of the township of Salford, of which Royal Manor it was anciently a member or hamlet. The original form of the name, Woerdesael, indicates its strategic importance adjacent to the Roman ford, which gave approach to the Saxon town from the great military highway through Cheshire. In the side of the hill rising from the river and hard by the ford, formerly existed a natural chamber hollowed out of the soft sandstone rock, and known as the Great Ordsall Cave. This is reputed to have been used during the Roman occupation as a temple for Mithras worship, and was subsequently converted by the Saxons into a den or place of devotion for their supreme deity, Woden. When Christian influences penetrated the district, this rocky cell was adapted from pagan to Christian use, and was used as an oratory by a hermitage of monks, who acted as guides across the ford and the perilous surrounding marshes beyond the river. These holy men built for their residence a hall of timber, close to the site of the present Ordsall Hall, and connected with the cave by a subterranean passage, still in existence. In the reign of Stephen (1135-1154) the monks removed their domicile to the new hermitage, which de Gernons had founded in the northern extremity of Salford manor at Kersal

After the conquest, Ordsall with Salford was held in demesne by Roger de Poictou, then by William Peverel, and eventually by the Earls of Chester. On the death of the fifth Earl in 1232, Ordsall was included in that portion of his estates which passed to his sister, Agnes, wife of William de Ferrers, sixth Earl of Derby. The son of Agnes, in or about 1251, conveyed to David de Hulton all his possessions in Flixton, together with the manor of Ordsall, by homage and service of two marks of silver four times a year by the sixth part of a knight's fee. David's son married Margaret, daughter of Robert de Radclyffe of the Tower, and on the death of his father in 1285 Richard de Hulton succeeded to the Ordsall lands as part of the patrimony. Richard de Hulton died in 1312, and was succeeded by a son of the same name, who died about 1331, leaving another Richard, his son, as heir. This third Richard married Maud, daughter of Adam de Norley, but the union was an unhappy one and was dissolved, Maud subsequently becoming the wife of Robert de Legh, son of John de Legh of the Booths, in Cheshire. Richard de Hulton thereupon partitioned his estates. To his uncle, Adam de Hulton, and his heirs, he gave all his lands in Westhaughton, with his manor of Hulton, and lands in Rumworth formerly held for life by Richard del Meadow; to William, son of Robert de Radclyffe, he gave Halliwell, with the manor of Blackburn; to John de Radclyffe he released all his claim in the manor of Ordsall and his moiety of Flixton. It would appear that a William de Hulton had a life interest in Ordsall; he was presumably an uncle to Richard, who had the reversion after William's death

The occupation of Ordsall at this time is veiled in a mist of confusion, and study of it's records only adds to the complexities. It was a period of grave civil and military distraction, owing to the demands of the Scottish Wars, the increasing population which the old system of feudal tenure was unable to sustain on the land, and the fact that men who had taken part in military campaigns were not disposed to settle to a more ordered and less eventful life. The tyranny of the feudal oppression burned at the resentful heart of an independent nation. Starving husbandmen saw land withheld from their ploughs by the pleasures of the chase, and they flocked to the woodlands in armed bands, roving and raiding the royal forests, and ready to offer their services to any overlord who would promise them reward from attacks on his neighbour's property. Tenure of estate was preserved more readily by the strong right hand than by claim of law, and every landowner gathered around him a force of dependants, who were granted allotments of land in requital for military aid. To these new freeholders was given the name of yeomen, signifying that they were the keepers or guards of the manor against the depredations of external enemies. To distinguish them from men of gentle blood, in place of steel armour they wore a buff coat of hide. With such a supporting force, many a manorial lord, often in combination with other proprietors, would sally forth on slender pretext, to make foray on lands he coveted, trusting later to compel legal recognition of his title at the Wapentake Court

The feud between the King and the barons during the reign of Edward the Second (1307-1327) intensified these distractions, and tore families apart with internal dissensions. The Hultons and the Radclyffes were to be found on indiscriminately on the rival sides, seeking to augment their possessions at the expense of opposing kinsmen. Richard de Hulton was a bold champion of the Holland faction in these disputes, and gathered around him a redoubtable force of landless men, to whom he made promise of rewards he seems subsequently to been unable to fulfil, judging by the claims which were later preferred against his estate. In 1334 he was convicted, with others, of having broken into the King's park at Ightenhill, near Padiham, but his offence was pardoned later. Although he held the Radclyffes in great favour, his father had regarded the otherwise, and in 1322 had sought the protection of the King's justice against various Radclyffes who had broken into and entered illegally his manors of Ordsall, Hulton, and Flixton. The younger Richard would appear to have been an outcast from his own family. That may be the explanation of the manner in which he partitioned his estates. He died in 1335, whereupon the manor of Ordsall was seized by Robert de Legh, the husband of Richard's divorced wife, who enlisted the aid of kinsman, Thomas de Strangeways, and of Robert, son of Roger de Radclyffe. Robert de Radclyffe was cousin to John, the rightful heir, who was prevented from entering on his inheritance through his absence in the King's service overseas, and taking advantage of this Robert established himself as lord of Ordsall. He was a man of some importance in the county and succeeded in obtaining the shrievalty of Salfordshire in 1337. His occupation of Ordsall was somewhat insecure at its inception and in 1338 he sought legal confirmation of his possession by claiming annuities out of Ordsall and Flixton against Robert de Legh and Maud, his wife, and other claimants to the estate of Richard de Hulton. Thereafter he appears to have been formally recognised in possession

On the death of his cousin and namesake, the son of Richard the Seneschal, Sir Robert de Radclyffe of Ordsall married the widow. This lady, Margaret de Shoresworth, is a somewhat remarkable personage in local records. She was the daughter and heiress of Robert de Shoresworth, an ancient manor immediately contiguous to the western bounds of the Ordsall estates. From her paternal ancestors she also inherited considerable lands in Denton. She had a son by Sir William de Holland, but whether she was married to this knight or not remains a mystery. From her relationship with him, however, she acquired the manor of Hope, within the township of Pendleton, and adjacent to her own ancestral lands. Subsequently, she was married to Henry de Workedsley of the Booths, as his second wife, and became known as Lady Margery of the Booths. Henry died about 1305, and she was espoused by Robert, son of Richard de Radclyffe, whose first wife had been Mary de Bury. She bore him two sons, William, who inherited from Richard de Hulton the manor of Blackburn with Halliwell, and became the progenitor of the Radclyffes of Smithills, and John, who became Rector of Bury and from whose natural son descended the Radclyffes of Chadderton. Margaret outlived all her, and was living in 1363, when her will was made. She seems to have lived a troubled life, judging from the amount of litigation regarding her lands which appears in the various records and deeds. The date of her marriage to Sir Robert de Radclyffe is not recorded, but he appears to have been previously married, and to have had a son, John, who was one of the collectors of the tax on fleeces in 1342. He was accused, with Sir Robert, as a defaulter, but of his subsequent history nothing is known, although he must have predeceased his father

Who was Sir Robert of Ordsall? His identity presents us with a baffling problem. Foster makes him to be the illegitimate son of Richard the Seneschal, though on what evidence is not stated. It is more probable that Robert was the son of Roger de Radclyffe, the younger brother of the Seneschal, to whom Adam de Bradshaw in 1312 gave certain lands at Bradshaw and Harwood, with remainder to Robert, son of Roger and his heirs, and then to Adam de Hulton. On the death of Sir Robert without an heir, these lands were seized by Adam de Hulton, Roger, his son, and John de Radclyffe, Rector of Bury, and subsequently formed part of the Smithills inheritance. Sir Robert seems to have been a prominent member of the Holland faction and a firm adherent to the Earl of Lancaster. In 1339 he was appointed Sheriff of Lancashire, and was one of the assessors appointed to collect the tax of the ninths within the county. This was in connection with the supplies voted for the wars in France and Scotland, when in 1340 the King was granted the ninth lamb, the ninth fleece, and the ninth sheaf for the space of two years. In the following year Robert de Radclyffe failed to obey the King's orders to deliver the monies he had collected to William de Montague, Earl of Salisbury, and at Dunstable on February 1342 an order was issued:

'Upon pain of forfeiture of life to attach John de Harrington, the younger, Edmund de Neville, Robert de Radclyffe and John de Radclyffe, collectors of wool in the county, and to have them before the King and his Council at London on Monday after Mid-Lent Sunday next to answer for their contempt'

Harrington responded, but Neville and the Radclyffes remained defaulters, and a further summons was issued against them on 13th March 'upon pain of forfeiture for their disobedience and contempt.' Their goods and chattels were to be seized into the King's hands until the collected dues were deposited into the Exchequer and a satisfactory account of the same rendered to the King. What happened in the subsequent two tears is not recorded, but Sir Robert was removed from his shrievalty in favour of Sir John Blount, and on the 14th February 1344 he died suddenly at Ordsall, whether from violence or natural causes is unknown. He was shown to owe the King 'One hundred and forty nine pounds, fourteen shillings and eightpence, halfpenny' for debts and for licence concerning the manor of Astley. He had acquired this latter estate shortly before his death, from Ellen, widow of Hugh de Tyldesley, in consideration of a fine of 100 marks. At Ordsall, on the day of his death, he had 10 oxen worth 100s., which were seized by Thomas de Strangeways, 2 oxen worth 20s., taken by William, son of Robert de Radclyffe, and 2 horses worth 20s., which were claimed by Richard, son of William de Radclyffe. This latter Richard and Isabelle his wife were named heirs of Sir Robert in the settlement of Astley. The claim to Ordsall was taken by Sir John Blount, and in the Duchy Court Rolls of 1351 it is recorded:

'John Blounte of Hazelwood, Robert Legh, and Thomas Strangeways came on their recognizance, at the suit of John Ratclif touching a tenement and lands in Salford. John Blounte answered that the premises were of the manor of Ordesale and that Henry, late earl of Lancaster, father of Henry the Duke, was seised of the lands and granted the same by charter to the said John Blounte, as of the manor of Ordesale' The recognitors found that a certain William de Hulton had held Ordsall for life with reversion to Richard de Hulton, who granted the estate to John de Radclyffe, to whom all claims were released, but Robert de Radclyffe, Robert de Legh and Thomas de Strangeways had ousted John de Radclyffe and taken possession on behalf of Robert. The suit went on until 1354, when judgement was in favour of John de Radclyffe, the claimant. The following year a further claim was lodged by Robert de Legh and Maud, his wife, but it was shown that Robert and Maud in 1339 had released to Robert, son of Roger de Radclyffe, all their rights in the manors of Ordsall and Flixton. Their claim against John de Radclyffe and Joan, his wife, was consequently barred. A settlement was eventually come to, whereby Robert and Maud surrendered all their claims in return for an annuity of 'thirtythree shillings and fourpence' during Maud's lifetime.

Generation No. 8.

8. Sir John Radcliff was born Abt. 1280.

More History of the Radclyffe Family:

John de Radclyffe, the actual founder of the line of Radclyffes of Ordsall, was the youngest son of Richard the Seneschal. His family's attachment to the cause of insurgent barons under the Earl of Lancaster, led John eventually into the service of the Queen's party, where he was rewarded with the favour of Queen Isabella and the warm friendship of the young Prince Edward, to whose personal service he was attached. In this capacity he was accompanied the Queen and the Prince during their sojourn on the Continent, where they sought the protection of Count William of Hainault, to whose daughter, Phillipa, the boy Prince was contracted by marriage. In September 1325 Isabella landed with her son at Orwell in Suffolk, supported by a force of two thousand men, which the Count of Hainault had placed at her disposal. She was joined by the great nobles who hated the Despensers, and Edward the Second fled with his favourites to the Welsh Marches. Here he was captured by his cousin, Henry, Earl of Lancaster, and taken prisoner to Kenilworth. The elder Despenser was executed at Bristol, and the younger at Hereford. Thomas of Lancaster was avenged. The King was deposed and Prince Edward proclaimed in his stead. A few months later in the midnight secrecy of Berkeley Castle the supplanted monarch came to his untimely end

The following spring Sir John Radclyffe was dispatched to Hainault,, to conduct the Lady Philippa to England for her marriage to King Edward the Third, and to act as King's Proxy in the preliminaries concerning the marriage. As soon as Edward was firmly established on the throne, having proved his quality by his courage against the Scots in his first expedition of a military nature, the Queen-mother's star began to set. A new confederacy against her influence, and that of Roger Mortimer, her paramour, was organized by Henry, Earl of Lancaster. It proved abortive, Lancaster suffered a heavy fine, and the Earl of Kent was executed on a flimsy charge of treason. The young King was now decided to assert his own authority, and Mortimer was brought to the scaffold on 29th November 1330. Queen Isabella was banished for the remainder of her life to the seclusion of Castle Rising. During the next five years Sir John Radclyffe was engaged with the King against the Scots, and in 1337 was sent to Flanders to open negotiations for a treaty between the English King and the Flemish trading cities, which were anxious to secure the support of the powerful King of England against their oppressor, the King of France. Edward, on his side, was desirous of establishing a commercial alliance with the rich and prosperous burghers of the Low Countries, as a means of improving the economic state of his own impoverished people. For several years John Radclyffe remained in Flanders, rendering valiant service in counsel and in arms to Jacob van Artevelde and his associates in Ghent, Bruges, and Ypres. So much so, that when he was asked to name his reward he immediately requested that a number of the Flemish craftsmen should be permitted to return to England, there to teach their arts of manufacture to his own people. The request was readily granted, and he thereupon conducted these men and their families to England, settling them in Lancashire, of which county he had been appointed a Knight of the Shire in 1340

In 1346 King Edward began his great attempt to establish his claim to the Crown of France, and supported by a great concourse of English archers and men-at-arms, commanded by trusty barons and knights, he landed on the coast of Normandy. On Saturday, the 26th of August, was fought the memorable Battle of Crecy, when the English forces routed the assembled might of France. Five days later Edward began his 12 months' siege of the fortress of Calais, which finally capitulated on 4th August 1347. During this campaign Sir John Radclyffe was in constant attendance on the King, with a personal entourage of two knights, twelve esquires, and fourteen archers, and so nobly did he distinguish himself throughout the engagements, that the King granted him the right to use what has been described as the proudest family motto in all the nobility of England, the superscription 'Caen, Crecy, Calais,' which has been borne by his lineal descendents from that time to the present day

After the surrender of Calais Philip of France agreed to a temporary truce with England, and Sir John Radclyffe now returned to establish his possession of Ordsall manor, against Sir John Blount and the De Leghs, who had assumed the estate after the death of Sir Robert, his cousin. In the intervals of the lengthy litigation that challenged his occupation until 1359, when his rights in Ordsall lands were finally conceded, he busied himself with public duties, particularly in fostering the new industries his proteges from Flanders had introduced into the district. A century before, the town of Salford had been made a free borough, but its commercial development had been slow. Sir John set to work to enrich the chartered liberties of the town with the life blood derived from the new manufactures. He built houses for the Flemings in the town, made the free burghers, awoke a new spirit of commercial enterprise amongst the yeomen of the neighbourhood, and succeeded in gaining the interest of Queen Philippa in his experiment. From a quiet country village the ancient town grew under Sir John's direction into a thriving centre of commercial intercourse, and to him belongs the credit of firmly establishing in Lancashire the textile industry which has been the main strength of English trade throughout the centuries since his day. There still stands in the older part of Salford the half timbered, many gabled inn of the Bulls Head, a portion of which is contemporary with Sir John, at which period it was changed from the private dwelling of a leading family in the town to an inn, where the merchants could be lodged. Fit it's sign was chosen the 'Bulls Head,' the Radclyffe crest, out of compliment to the Ordsall knight who had set the feet of his fellow burghers on the high road towards a greater prosperity.

When Sir John was securely settled in the occupation of Ordsall, he commenced the rebuilding of the manor house, and the main portion of the existing Ordsall Hall is a tangible link between the present day and the gallant and illustrious begetter of the Ordsall Radclyffes

In 1341 John de Radclyffe acquired from John de Belshaw the latter's interest in the bailiwick of the serjeancy of Rochdale, 'with all its rights to be held of the chief lord of the fee by accustomed service.' The charter is dated at Whalley 18th November 1341, and was witnessed by Richard de Radclyffe, Robert de Radclyffe, John de Clitherowe, and Richard ffyshwycke, Clerk.

Under date of 13th August 1344, John de Radclyffe in named as party to an indenture, with Henry de Haydock and John de Belshaw, as bound by a recognisance of the Statute Merchant to the Earl of Derby in the sum of one hundred pounds, which John de Kynewell, general attorney to the Earl, agreed to commute the payment of fifty two pounds, sixteen shillings and threepence to be paid to him at Michaelmas at the house of John le Fleming in Fridaistrete in London. Presumably this was in connection with the settlement of the Flemish workers in England

At the April Assize held at Preston in 1353, Sir John, as Bailiff of Rochdale, was in dispute with John, the Abbot of Whalley, regarding Puture in Spotland and Castleton. John de Radclyffe claimed for his sub-bailiffs a Puture a day every week of the year, and on two days of the year, a nine o'clock and at supper at the Abbot's table. At the September Assize in the same year, Sir John was called upon to show cause why he had taken two bullocks at Marland in Castleton, belonging to the Abbot, and had detained them until a fine was paid. Sir John's case was that Adam, a former Abbot, held the manor of Marland from Henry de Lacy, Constable of Chester (from whom the Duke inherited), for six shillings per year, but the rent was four years in arrear. The jury eventually found that the Duke was not entitled to rent, and the Abbot did not owe it. The Puture question was not settled until November 1360 when Sir John, as Bailiff, released to the Abbot and Convent his right to Puture in all the will of Castleton and the grange of Whitworth in Spotland for a consideration of twelve shillings per year to himself and his heirs

In 1356 Sir John was in dispute with Richard de Langley and Joan, his wife, regarding certain lands in Salford and Pendleton, and in 1358 he was sued in conjunction with Sir Henry de Trafford, John le Bold of Whittleswick, and Katherine, his wife, respecting an annuity of thirteen shillings and fourpence in Ordsall, which Thomas de Goosnargh alleged had been granted to him by Richard de Hulton

The period of Sir John's settling at Ordsall was the time of the Black Death, and an interesting sidelight is thrown on his character when, at a time lands were going out of cultivation for want of labourers and many men were realising their properties and fleeing with their capital abroad, Sir John chose that time to forsake military distinction and apply himself to the illustrious but no less worthy duty of a landed proprietor, the stay of simple men and a helper of the distressed, ministering to the needs of his neighbours and assisting the prosperity of the commonwealth

Shortly after his settlement at Ordsall Sir John added to his possessions the manor of Moston. For some reason not disclosed Emma, the only daughter of Richard de Moston, granted to Sir John in 1353 her life-interest in the manor of Moston and the rights in the inheritance which her brothers had given to her in 1325. She had previously to her grant to Sir John bestowed these on John de Moston, son of her youngest brother Hugh, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Richard de Tyldesley. After John's death Margaret was married to a second husband in Robert de Bolton. Robert de Moston, Emma's third brother, had a reversion in the lands, and this was claimed by his daughter and heir, Alice, the wife of Hugh de Toft, whose son, Robert de Toft, in 1404, recovered the manor of Moston against Hugh de Moston, son of John and Margaret, and Alice, his wife. After the death of her nephew, John, Emma reclaimed possession of the manor against Robert de Bolton and Margaret, his wife, William, son of Robert de Radclyffe, Alice, daughter of Robert de Radclyffe, and James, son of Henry de Tyldesley, and thereupon regranted it to Sir John de Radclyffe of Ordsall. Emma appears to have died shortly afterwards, and Sir John thereupon confirmed his possession be securing from Hugh de Toft and Alice, his wife, the reversion of a messuage and 40 acres of land

William de Moston, another heir, who held lands in the manor for life after the death of Emma, was present in court and did fealty to Sir John de Radclyffe. The manor of Moston was held by the Radclyffes of Ordsall until 1394, when Sir John of Ordsall, grandson of the original Sir John, gave his lands at Moston, presumably for life, to Henry de Strangeways. After this Sir John's death in 1422, a dispute arose regarding the possession of Moston, and in 1425 a settlement was arrived at whereby his son and heir, another Sir John, was to hold the Moston lands for life, with the remainder to James, the son of Richard de Radclyffe of Radclyffe. The estate remained in the possession of the Tower family until the death of their last heir without issue caused them to pass to the FitzWalter Radclyffes under settlement, and in 1543 Henry, Earl of Sussex, sold Moston Hall to John Reddish. The Ordsall family did, however, retain a portion of the lands in Moston, since Sir William Radclyffe is shown in possession of them at his death in 1568

There was a virulent outbreak of the pestilence in the winter of 1361. It lasted for none months, and in the spring of 1362 Sir John de Radclyffe died, a victim perhaps of the sickness that decimated his tenantry. The postmortem inquisition shows him holding Ordsall by knight's service and a rent of six shillings and eightpence, as well as lands in Flixton and elsewhere, including 40 acres in Salford held by knight's service and twenty shillings rent. The Ordsall estate is therein described as including a hall with 5 chambers, kitchen, chapel, 2 stables, 3 granges, 2 shippons, garner, dovecoat, orchard, a windmill, 80 acres of arable land, and 6 acres of meadow. Eight years before, the manor was described as 'a messuage, 120 acres of land, 12 acres of meadow, and 12 acres of wood.'

Generation No. 9.

9. Richard Radcliff was born Abt. 1301 in Ordsall, Lancashire Co. England, and died 19 Jul 1380 in Rossendale, England.

Notes for Richard Radcliff.

Richard de Radclyffe, the son and heir of Sir John, was known as 'Le Puigne' to distinguish him from his cousin Richard of the Tower. In addition to the Ordsall estates he succeeded to his father's offices of Bailiwick of Rochdale and the Stewardship of Blackburn. By his marriage he vastly enhanced his noble status and landed possessions. His wife was Matilda, daughter and heir of Sir John Legh of Booths and Sandbach. In this lady flowed some of the noblest blood in the land. She was descended in the paternal line from Hamon de Legh, Lord of the Mediety of High Legh in the reign of Henry the Second, whose descendants had absorbed by marriage the notable families of Swineshead, Oughtrington, Corona, and Sandbach. By her grandmother, Margaret de Arderne, she was descended from Ralph, Viscount of Bayeux, from the family of Averanches Earls of Chester, and from the noble lines of St. Hillery, Montalt, Orreby, Glanville, and Sackville. The quarterings of this distinguished ancestry were now brought into the Radclyffe shield, and Matilda brought to her husband the manor of Sandbach, a moiety of Mobberley, and other extensive possessions of the Arderne inheritance in the county of Chester

Richard was one of the greatest landowners in the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire, for in addition to the wide domains that his wife brought him, he had acquired other portions of the former lands of his own family. Besides Ordsall, he held the manor of Hope within Pendleton, a messuage and 60 acres of land, held by knight's service and a rent of four pounds and two shillings, and Shoresworth, which with Hope had come to the Radclyffes from Margaret de Shoresworth. On his father's death, Richard petitioned for the restitution of lands in Livesey and Tockholes in Blackburnshire, which had been granted to Roger de Radclyffe by Thomas of Lancaster, and had been seized by the Crown on account of the debts which Robert, son of Roger, had left unpaid at his death

Richard was drowned in Rossendale Water, while exercising his official duties, on the Thursday before the feast of St. Margaret in 1380.

Generation No. 10.

10. Sir John Radcliff was born Abt. 1343 in Ordsall, Lancashire Co. England, and died 08 Aug 1422.

Notes for Sir John Radcliff.

John de Radclyffe, son and heir of Richard, was born at Ordsall in 1356, and was twenty-four years old when he succeeded to his inheritance. He lived through the reigns of three monarchs, the disorders of misrule of Richard the Second, the no less lively era of Henry the Fourth, and the valiant awakenings Henry the Fifth inspired. John entered military service at an early age, desiring no doubt to emulate the fame of his grandfather, and was associated with his kinsman, Sir Thomas de Holland, Earl of Kent, half-brother to King Richard. In 1385 he was amongst those chosen by the Earl of Kent to accompany him when he went to take up his appointment as Captain of Cherbourg, and the King's protection was granted to Radclyffe for the safeguarding of his estates during his absence abroad. For some reason his plans were changed; he did not go to Normandy, and the protection was withdrawn. In that year Charles the Sixth of France determined to invade England, and assembled a great army in Flanders, with an armada at the port of Sluys to convey them across. The young King's uncles wisely dissuaded him from the enterprise, and the expedition was abandoned. It is probable that the services of John de Radclyffe were more necessary at home at such a time than they would be overseas. The incompetence of King Richard forced the support of the nation to his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, whose appointment as head of the Great Council the King was forced to concede. Gradually the power of the Lancastrian party was rising and the Lord of Ordsall was a devoted adherent of that house. John of Gaunt died in 1399, and Richard thereupon seized his immense estates and kept them, notwithstanding his letters patent to the banished Henry of Lancaster permitting him to take possession of his lawful inheritance. According to the Deputy Keeper's Reports, the Radclyffe title to Ordsall was challenged at this time, from which it might appear that Sir John was with Duke Henry in his exile. Within a short time, however, Henry landed at Ravenspur, Richard was deposed, and Lancaster was proclaimed King as Henry the Sixth. Throughout the fourteen years of his reign the new King found Sir John ever a gallant champion of his cause. He fought at Hateley Field, and was amongst those whom King Henry held in constant favour. When Henry the Fifth succeeded his father, Radclyffe like his cousin at Attleburgh was appointed to the personal service of the King, and was given a captaincy in the French war. Though now an elderly man Sir John bore himself with distinction at Agincourt. He was present at the capture of Caen and the Siege of Rouen, and in 1421 was chosen by the King for election to the Order of the Garter. This honour was actually denied him, however, for he died before the Feast of St. George following.

At the death of Sir John it was found that the Rochdale Bailiwick was worth nothing, as the outgoings exceeded the receipts. In 1430 therefore his heir sold the family interest in the bailiwick and serjeancy of Rochdale to Sir John Byron

Generation No. 11.

11. Sir John Radcliff II was born Abt. 1377 in Ordsall, Lancashire Co. England, and died 26 Jul 1442 in Hope Manor, Lancashire, England.

Notes for Sir John Radcliff II:

John de Radclyffe, the eldest son and heir, was born at Ordsall in 1377. At the age of nineteen he married Clemency, daughter of High de Standish of Duxbury, a family of notable antiquity in the county of Lancaster. The mother of Clemency was a Standish of Standish, her uncle, Ralph, was Sheriff of Lancashire in 1392, and a cousin, John, was one of the heroes of Agincourt, On their marriage, his father settled on John de Clemency the manors of Hope and Shoresworth, and the young couple made their home at Hope Hall. John, like his father, was a soldier, and served in the French wars, wherein he was accorded the honour of knighthood, and remained in active service until his death. He was forty four years of age when his father died, opening John's succession to Ordsall, and he remained in possession for twenty-one years. That he was an addict to the extravagant fashions of the day is adduced from the fact that in 1428 he was summoned by his brother, Alured, for an offence against the sumptuary laws, a series of edicts passed in the reigns of Edward the Second and Edward the Third and renewed more forcibly under Richard the Second, which sought to restrain undue expenditure on elaborate and fantastic apparel. Proclamations were issued against 'outrageous and excessive multitude of meats and dishes which the great men of the kingdom still use in their castles, ... and persons of inferior rank imitating their example beyond what their stations required of their circumstances could afford.' The lavish hospitality at the hall of Ordsall no doubt made Sir John's brothers anxious, lest their own patrimonial portion should be dissipated.

Sir John died 26th July 1442 in his sixty-fifth year holding Ordsall by the ancient services. His wife, Clemency, had predeceased him, and he had married again. To his widow, Joan, he left for the period of her life his lands in Flixton, Shoresworth, Hope.

Generation 12.

12. Sir Alexander Radcliff was born 1401 in Ordsall, Lancashire, England, and died 1476.

Notes for Sir Alexander Radcliff:

Alexander Radclyffe, the eldest son and heir of Sir John, was born at Hope about 1401. The inquisitions on the deaths of his father and uncles show an extraordinary disparity in the recorded age at these periods, but the above date seems to be the most acceptable as the date of his birth. Alexander had received from his father a moiety of Flixton on his marriage to Agnes Harrington, and Shoresworth also seems to have been a portion of the dowry. By his marriage to the daughter of Sir William Harrington of Hornby Castle Alexander further enriched the noble blood of his already illustrious line. Through her mother, Margaret Neville of Hornby, Agnes was descended from King Ethelred, through his daughter, Elgiva, who was married to Uchtred, Earl of Northumberland. Their descendant, Robert Fitz-Maldred, Lord of Raby, married Isabel, daughter of Geoffrey, Lord Neville, from whom descended Sir Robert Neville of Hornby, who married Dorothy, daughter of William de la Pole. Margaret Neville was the daughter of this marriage. On the paternal side, Agnes traced her descent from Alice le Fleming, sister and heir of Michael, Lord of Aldingham, and wife of Richard de Cauncefield. Their daughter, Agnes, married Sir Robert Harrington, and had a son, Robert, who married Margaret, daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Banastre, Baron of Newton. Their son, Sir Nicholas Harrington, married Jane, the heir of Sir Thomas English of Wolfege, and Sir William Harrington, father of Agnes, was their eldest son, Lord of Hornby Castle in right of his wife

The Radclyffes of Ordsall had by this time advanced to become one of the most influential houses in the county, and in 1455 Sir Alexander was a knight of the shire. Family feuds were still rampant, especially amongst the younger sons of neighbouring proprietors, where the motive of the quarrel might be trivial, but was sufficient to excite the passions and prejudices of the young hotheads, in whom the ascendancy of military habits and the rough-and-tumble of education of the time encouraged a disposition to satisfy their honour and settle their grievances by taking the law into their own hands. One of these disputes between local Montagues and Capulets came to a head on the Monday after Low Sunday in the year 1444. The Booths of Barton were a powerful landed family, the bounds of whose estates ran partly with the Radclyffe lands. On the day in question John Radclyffe, his brother High, and a party of their friends, including their uncle, Peter Radclyffe, were hunting in the Wheaste, which was part of the royal forest adjacent to their estates. As they approached the manor house of Little Bolton, their way was challenged by William Gawen, the lord of the manor, who had summoned to his support Sir Thomas Booth of Barton, with his sons, Nicholas and Henry, and a strong force of armed retainers. In the fracas that ensued John Radclyffe was slain by one of the Booths, Hugh Radclyffe died at the hands of Lawrence Hyde, of the Barton faction, and the two others of the Radclyffe party, Ralph Oldham and Nicholas Johnson, were also killed. Peter Radclyffe was responsible for the death of Peter Cowapp of Barton. All the delinquents were brought to trial but were acquitted. Subsequently, Sir Alexander again proceeded against the Booths at a later assize, when Henry and Nicholas Booth received sentence of outlawry. In 1455 the Wars of the Roses began with the first Battle of St. Albans, and the Radclyffes were prominent in their support of the Lancastrian cause. At the battle of Wakefield in 1640 Lady Agnes Radclyffe lost her brother, Sir Thomas Harrington of Hornby, and her nephew, Sir John Harrington, who both fell fighting on the King's side. Sir Alexander himself died in 1475, on the 20th July. Lady Agnes survived him fifteen years.

Generation No. 13.

13. Sir William Radcliff was born 1420 in Ordsall, Lancashire Co. England, and died 15 May 1498.

Notes for Sir William Radcliff:

William Radclyffe, eldest son and heir of Sir Alexander, was born at Ordsall in 1435. He married Jane, youngest daughter of Sir Edmund Trafford by his wife, Alice, daughter and co-heir of Sir William Venables of Bollin, thus uniting for the third time the ancient lines of Radclyffe and Trafford. Sir Edmund Trafford was skilled in scientific arts and claimed to have discovered a method of transmuting base metals into gold, for which a licence was granted to him and to Sir Thomas Assheton by Henry the Sixth in 1446. He received the honour of knighthood for his gallant conduct at Verneuil in 1424

William Radclyffe was forty years of age when he succeeded his father at Ordsall. He had gained fame in the wars, and been knighted the year before his succession. He was a devout man esteemed for the nobility of his character, and his generous benefactions made him beloved by the people. The Radclyffes both at Radclyffe and Ordsall had shown a deep interest in the founding of the College at Manchester Church, and William's grandfather, Sir John, is amongst those recorded as being present at the ceremony of collegiation in 1422. The chapel of St. George in the Collegiate Church was founded by the Radclyffe family, and Sir William also founded a chantry at the Altar of the Blessed Trinity in the same church, placing therein a window of richly coloured glass, depicting the Trial and Crucifixion of Our Lord, and further adorned with symbols of the Trinity. After his death, Sir William's pious reputation made this chapel a place of devotion and pilgrimage of the part of the country people. To the chaplain celebrating at the Trinity Altar Elizabeth Brereton, widow of John Radclyffe, Sir William's son, bequeathed a Mass Book with cover and clasps, a silver cruet with 'J.R.' on the cover, two towels, a vestment of green and white velvet with bull's heads on the orphreys, and three shillings and fourpence to buy a sacring-bell. Two years later, Robert Chetham and Isabel, his wife, enfeoffed Richard Bexwicke, Sen., Richard Bexwicke, Jun., James Radclyffe, and others, of lands in Salford and Worsley including Domville House in Salford to found a chantry at the Altar of St. George in the Collegiate Church. This latter chapel was held with the manor of Ordsall. The lower choir of the church was for centuries the exclusive burial place of the Radclyffes of Ordsall, and in consequence was known as the Radclyffe Chancel. During the restoration of the church in the nineteenth century a number of fragmentary brasses were taken up and placed in the chapter-house, the matrixes being buried beneath the cement setting for the new pavement of gaudy tiles

In the autumn of 1496 James the Fourth of Scotland was persuaded to invade England on behalf of Perkin Warbeck, and the men of the northern counties stirred into resistance. Realising the hopelessness of their cause by the lack of English response to their proclamation the Scots retired, pillaging the county without mercy. Sir William Radclyffe and his sons were amongst those who hastened to the defence of the north, and whether from wounds received in the battle or from the ravages of illness, they died within a month of each other. John Radclyffe was the first to succumb on the 12th April, and his father and brother William died on the same day, 15th May following. They were buried in the choir of Manchester Church, and one of the recovered brasses previously referred to, showing a knight in plate armour with a sword by his side and his lady in hood and mantle with the effigies of six female children at her feet, is indubitably the memorial to Sir William and the Lady Jane, his wife

After his death, his widow was married to Sir James Byron of Clayton, whom also she survived, and was married a third time to Sir John Talbot of Salesbury. The children of Sir William and Lady Jane Radclyffe were:

Generation No. 14

14. John Radcliff was born 1454 in Ordsall, Lancashire Co. England, and died 12 Apr 1497 in Lancashire, England.

Notes for John Radcliff:

Origins of the name 'Ordsall'

The name Ordsall has Old English origins being the personal name ‘Ord’ and the word ‘halh’, meaning a corner or nook, which has become the modern dialect word ‘haugh’. This, indeed, describes the position of the manor for its boundary on the south side is a large bend in the river Irwell which later became the site of the docks for the Manchester Ship Canal

First mention of Ordsall Hall

The name first appears in print in 1177 when ‘Ordeshala’ paid two marks towards an aid, a feudal due or tax. There was probably a house at Ordsall by 1251 when William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, exchanged the manor for land in Pendleton which belonged to David de Hulton.

Manor passes to the Radclyffe family:

The manor passed into the hands of the Radclyffe family of Radclyffe Tower, nr. Bury, about 1335 on the death of the childless Richard de Hulton. The first twenty years of Radclyffe ownership were very confused because there were several claimants, but in 1354 Sir John Radclyffe finally established his right to inherit the manor on his return from the French wars. During these he was granted the right to use one of the earliest mottoes for services in the battlefield, ‘Caen, Crecy, Calais’. Sir John inherited a manor described in 1351 as a messuage, 120 acres of land, 12 acres of meadow and 12 acres of wood.

The early years:

Ten years later he had enlarged his house which included a new chapel for which he received a licence in 1361. When his son Richard died in 1380 the Hall was described as having a hall, five chambers, a kitchen and a chapel. It was associated with two stables, three granges two shippons, a garner, a dovecote, an orchard and a windmill, together with 80 acres of arable land and 6 acres of meadow.

Sir Alexander Radclyffe becomes High Sheriff of Lancashire:

Its associated cruck hall, which could have been similar to the one still existing at Samlesbury, nr. Preston, was replaced by the present Great Hall in 1512 when Sir Alexander Radclyffe (d. 1549) became High Sheriff of Lancashire for the first time. The new hall is typical of others built at that time in the North West, for example at Rufford Old Hall, and is certainly one of the largest, although the absence of a wall fireplace is unusual at this date. As at Rufford, the Hall is distinguished by an elaborate roof structure clearly displaying the skills of the carpenter who built the hall. The large oriel bay with the slightly later small private room above, may be an early addition: a similar bay was added to Samlesbury Hall in the 1530s.

Further alterations and additions were made to the Hall in the 17th century. A modest brick house was built in 1639 by Sir Alexander Radclyffe (d. 1654) at the west end and at right angles to the timber framed building which may have been the home of his bailiff since by then Ordsall was no longer his main residence. Later the house was joined to the main building.

Sir Alexander was apparently already in financial difficulties and this expenditure, followed immediately by the Civil War during which, as a Royalist, he suffered imprisonment and financial hardship, left his son and heir John in such straitened circumstances that in 1662 he had to sell the Hall to Colonel John Birch.

Marriages, Knighthoods, Positions of Influence and Connections with Court:

The Radclyffe family had been connected with the Hall for over 300 years and their family history tells of inter-marriages and feuds with other local families such as the Booths, Leghs and de Traffords. Some sat in Parliament as Knights of the Shire, and Sir Alexander (d. 1549) was High Sheriff of Lancashire on four occasions. Most were knighted for services in battle and took part in Court life: for instance, Margaret Radclyffe (d. 1599) became a favourite Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth and was seen at Court in a dress said to have cost one hundred and eighty pounds.

Ordsall Hall - A Sense of History:

Set amongst modern housing and industrial units, Ordsall Hall, the oldest building in Salford, is now a branch of Salford Museums and Art Galleries. It is an architectural gem, and one of the region's finest period houses. When the earliest part of the present building was built, over 600 years ago, it was in the rural setting of a moated site in a bend of the River Irwell. Much later, this became the dockland area of the Manchester Ship Canal which brought with it industry and industrial housing. Over the past 20 years these have been swept away and today the character of the area is once again changing with the development of Salford Quays.

Although the name Ordsall is mentioned as early as 1177, the earliest part of the present building dates from just before 1361 when Sir John Radclyffe was granted a licence for his chapel at Ordsall. A fragment of the wing where the chapel once stood still exists in a small two-storey section just east of the present Great Hall. When he began rebuilding, Sir John had recently returned from fighting in the Hundred Years War and had just established his legal right to inherit the property, which had been in dispute for about 20 years following the death of the childless David de Hulton whose family had owned it since 1251.When Sir John's son died in 1380, the building, which had been described in 1351 as a messuage (little more than a farmhouse), was stated to have a hall with five chambers, a kitchen and a chapel. Associated with it were two stables, three granges, two shippons, a garner, a dovecote, an orchard and a windmill.

The Radclyffe family continued to own it for the next three centuries, and there are records of feuds and alliances with other local families such as the de Traffords and Booths of Barton. Especially during the 16th century the estates expanded by inheritance, marriage and purchase, including the absorption of properties owned by other branches of the Radclyffes of Radclyffe Tower, such as Attleburgh, Norfolk, in 1641 and Foxdenton in 1696. Junior branches of the Ordsall family established themselves at Mellor, Cheshire, and Hitchin Priory, Hertfordshire.

All except the last Radclyffes of Ordsall were knighted, most for service in battle, and some sat in Parliament as Knights of the Shire. One of the most important members of the family was Sir Alexander Radclyffe (c. 1477-1549) who was High Sheriff of Lancashire on four occasions between 1523 and 1548 and it may well be because of his high office, that he decided to rebuild the hall he had inherited on a grander scale. The Great Hall, which replaced the earlier cruck hall, is one of the largest surviving in Lancashire and its quatrefoil timberwork, set in massive uprights, gives the house its distinctive appearance. The polygonal oriel was probably added in the 1530s when a similar one was built at Samlesbury Hall, but shortly afterwards its conical roof was replaced by a small rectangular room which would have been entered from the now demolished east wing. At the west end of the hall is a massive spere truss supporting the cambered tie-beam and all this work is richly moulded. Beyond the screens passage are three doors leading to the former service area - the pantry, kitchen and buttery.

The 16th century and early 17th century was the high point in the fortunes of the Radclyffes and Ordsall Hall. Sir Alexander's great grandchildren attended the court of Queen Elizabeth, where Margaret Radclyffe, d. 1599, was a favourite Maid of Honour and was seen wearing a dress said to have been worth £180 even at that date.

Post Radclyffe History:

At the end of the seventeenth century the estate was sold to the Oldfield family of Leftwich, nr. Northwich, and again in 1704 to John Stock, a trustee of Cross Street Chapel. His son’s executors sold the property in 1756 to Samuel Hill of Shenstone, Staffordshire, on whose death two years later it passed to his nephew, Samuel Egerton of Tatton. The Stocks were almost certainly the last owners to live in the Hall for the two wings were probably occupied by tenants by 1700, the Stocks retaining for their own use the central section consisting of ‘a large hall, longe dineing room, a chapple, six rooms on a floor, with brewhouse, large courts, stable, etc.’

Generation No. 15.

15. Anne Radcliff was born 1476 in Wymerly, Lancashire, England. She married Sir Roger Dalton, son of Sir Dalton and Elizabeth Fleming. He was born Abt. 1469 in Of Dalton Hall, Bispham, Croston and Mawdesley, Lancashire, and died Abt. 1531 in Byspham Manor, Lancashire England.

• 'The Beckwiths" (1891)
• http://www.archive.org/details/thebeckwiths00beck
• http://www.archive.org/stream/thebeckwiths00beck#page/39/mode/1up
• John Beckwith, 46, married the daughter of 'Thomas Radcliff of Mulgrave'.
• ___________________________
• 'A genealogical and heraldic History of the Commoners of Great ..., Volume 2 By John Burke
• http://books.google.com/books?id=0I9AAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA115&lpg=PA115&dq...
• Pg. 637
• JOHN BECKWITH, esq. espoused a daughter of 'Thomas Radcliffe, esq. of Mulgrave', and had two sons, viz.
• _____________________
• 'John Bailey Beckwith, M.D., of Smithfield, NC: A Biographical Sketch with Genealogy of the ... (1893)
• http://www.archive.org/details/johnbaileybeckw00beckgoog
• http://www.archive.org/stream/johnbaileybeckw00beckgoog#page/n26/mo...
• 15. JOHN BECKWITH,
  • Third son of Thomas, of Clint (14), married a daughter of 'Thomas Ratcliff, Esq., of Mulgrave', and had issue — two sons. Thomas, the elder, was heir to his uncle, Sir Wil-
• http://www.archive.org/stream/johnbaileybeckw00beckgoog#page/n27/mo...
• liam Beckwith, of Clint ; Robert, of Broxholm, the second son, succeeded his father.
• _________________________
• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Feb 3 2016, 23:01:48 UTC