William de Radcliffe of Radclyffe Tower

  General Notes:

Debrett's Baronetage of England, p. 1312⁸⁶⁰, calls him William Radclyffe, of Radclyffe-tower, eldest son of Richard Radclyffe and Isabel Pleasington. He married Susanah, daughter of Robert Leigh, of Adlington, Cheshire.

The Book of Radclyffes, Radclyffe pedigree, p. 16⁷⁴⁵, shows Susanah, married to William and the daughter of Robert de Legh, of Adllington.

de Radeclive | Henry de Radeclive, temp. Henry II | Possible son: Wiiliam de Radeclive, of Radcliffe Tower, temp. Richard I and John, married Cecilia de Montebou, lady of Kirkland and Hornby | Adam de Radeclive of Radcliffe Tower, living Henry III, married a daugher of Alan Culwen, and brother of Geoffrey and Hugh de Radclive | Robert de Radeclyye, of Radcliffe Tower, died before 20 Edward I (1291) | Richard de Radclyve, of Radcliffe Tower, married a daughter of ____ Butler of Bewsey | William Radclyffe, of Radcliffe Tower, temp. Edw. I-III, brother of married to Margaret, one of the co-heirs of John Radclyffe who married Johanna, eldest daughter of Sir Robert de Holland | Richard de Radclyffe, of Radcliffe Tower, temp. Edw. III, married as his first wife, Isabella, daughter and heir of Pleasington, of Wymersley and they were the parents of William Radcliffe who married Susannah, daughter of Robert Legh, of Adlington in Chester. William's sister, Elena de Radclyffe, married first to Nicholas Boteler of Rawcliffe, second to Sir John Dalton of Dalton and a third time to Robert de Urswick "Radcliffe Parish," The History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster, Volume II, Radcliffe Pedigree, p. 422-425 1530a

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information: ⁷⁴⁵
William de Radclyffe, eldest son of Richard and Isabella, succeeded his father some time after 1375. There isn't much mention of this William in the records. He married Susanah, younger daughter of Robert de Legh of Adlington and his wife Maud de Norleigh. Susanah was siter to Matilda, second wife of William Todmorden. One of her brothers was Sir Robert de Legh, High Sheriff of Cheshire from 1393 until 1398, and a second brother was Sir Piers de Legh, who married Margaret d'Anyers, widow of John de Radclyffe or Ordsall. William was not in possession of the family estates for long. He was dead by 1390, when his son James succeeded him. The children of William and Susanah were:

James, Eldest son and heir
Thomas, a priest who became Abbot of Rushen in the Isle of Man.
Robert
Isabel, married to William de Barton

The Book of Radcylffe, p. 24

• Background Information: ^1530a
The parish of Radcliffe, in Salford hundred, doubtless gave name to the family of Radcliffe before that lace was in the possession of the Earls of Chester. In the record of fees held in the reigns of John and Henry III., as exhibited in the Testa de Nevvill, William de Radeclive occurs in the Inquisicio Comitatus Lancastr', [fo. 401-405], where he is said to hold by 6s. a carucate of land of the fee of Ranulf Fitz-Roger's heir, a ward in the custody of Eustace Fitz-Moreton, for the king, besides twelve bovates of land in Edgworth.

In 30 Henry III. (1246), Adam, son of the William de Radeclive above named, petitioned a against Roger de Oswaldtwisel for the lands demised in Radclive, for a term of years, by his grandfather, of whom he was the heir. In 4 Edward I. (1276) Richard, son of Robert and great grandson of William de Radclyve, had a writ of novel disseisin, and held lands, &c., in Tottington, of the fee of Roger de Montebegon. This Richard accompanied the king in his wars in Scotland, and obtained from him a charter for free warren in his manors of Radcliffe and Querndone, dated from Strevelin, 32 Edward I. (1304). [Rot. Chart., 32 Edward I, mem. 17]

Sir John Radclyve of Ordsal, a younger son of this Sir Richard, who married Johanna, daughter of Sir Robert, and sister to Thomas de Holland, Earl of Kent, accompanied Edward III. In his wars in France; he introduced the honor of knighthood into the family in 1347, and was founder of the line of Radcliffe of Ordsal and of Foxdenton. The Radcliffles enjoyed the privilege of free
warren and free chase in the territories of the duchy, and held at various times the offices of seneschal and minister of the forests of Bowland an Blackburnshire; and the stewardship of Rossendale also devolved upon them. The chiefs of the family, as well as several collateral branches, filled the station of high-sheriff in the county in successive reigns; a rank which, in the early period of history, was equal to that of lord-lieutenant.

Ralph de Radclyffe, grandson of Richard above named, dying without issue before 5 Edward III. (1331), bequeathed his manors of Radcliffe, 850., to his uncle William, son of Richard de Radclyffe, of Radcliffe Tower, and brother of John, the founder of the line of Ordsal, called the "Great William," lord of Edgeworth and Oswaldtwistle, who became seized of Culcheth in 20 Edward I. (1292), in right of his wife Margaret, one of the two (Grand) daughters and co-heirs of Gilbert de Culcheth. From this "Great William" ennobled successively by the titles of Baron Fitzwalter and Earl of Sussex, now extinct, descended the Radcliffes, Earls of Derwentwater who suffered such a fatal eclipse on the execution of the unfortunate James, Earl of Derwentwater, for his share in the rebellion of 1715, and his no less unfortunate brother Charles who had assumed the title, and who was father of another Charles who became Earl of Newburgh. Robert Radcliffe, the eldest brother of the "Great William," was the father of William, 316 founder of the line of Smithells; and also of William, rector of Bury, 16 Edward III. (1342), who became lord of Chadderton and from whom descended the Radcliffes of Chadderton. William de Radcliffe-the "Great William," was succeeded by his son Richard, the grandfather of James Radclyffe (whose father was William, son of Richard, son of William).

"Radcliffe Parish," The History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster, Volume II, pp. 421 & 426

William married Susannah Legh, daughter of Robert de Legh and Sybil de Honford.^1530a