Ravenkil of Woodplumpton

  Information about this person:

• Background Information. ⁹²⁰
The family of Woodplumpton has a pedigree that seems to connect them with the pre-Conquest owners. Raghanald, the earliest of them on record, must have lived about the time of the Conquest, for his son Ravenkil attested the grants made in 1094 by Count Roger of Poiton to the abbey of Sees. Roger son of Ravenkil, who gave Linacre to the Knights Hospitallers, occurs from 1130 to 1171. His son Richard, the founder of Lytham Priory, lived in the time of Henry II and Richard I, holding by knight's service Kirkby, Argarmeols, Kellamergh and Bryning, and in thegnage Woodplumpton, Lytham, Carleton, Bootle and part of Formby.

Roger son of Ranchil owed 30 marks in 1129-30 for an agreement with the Count of Mortain respecting lands between Ribble and Mersey [Farrer, Lancs. Pipe R]. He was surety in 5 marks for a pardon in 1169-71 [Farrer, Lancs. Pipe R. 16, 20, 23].


In 1176, Richard son of Roger paid 5 marks in order to obtain an inquiry as to the manor of Kirkby, which had been taken into the king's hands because he had married his daughter and heir without the king's license. He had to pay £100 to recover his lands [Farrer, Lancs. Pipe R., 31, 42-44]. The payment of several installments is recorded in the Pipe Rolls. In 1194 he incurred a further penalty for having shared in Count John's rebellion [Farrer, Lancs. Pipe R., 90, 92]. The Priory of Lytham was founded by him between 1189 and 1194 [Farrer, Lancs. Pipe R., 346-9].

In 1199 Maud Banastre made a claim respecting sisters' portion against Richard son of Roger and Margery his wife (her sister), who put Robert de Stockport in their place [Rot. Curia Regis, Rec. Com., i, 359]. Plaintiff was perhaps the Maud de Hastings who had then another dispute with Richard son of Roger [ibid. 227, 301; Excerpta e Rot. Fin. Rec. Com., i, 87].

~A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 7, pp. 284-291