Notes for: John Wycliffe, Esq.
Much of the following (numbers 1-11) must originally be based on the Wycliffe pedigree in The History of Yorkshire; Wapentake of Gilling West, by Marshall General Plantagenet Harrison (1885) since it matches that exactly. From #12 on, it differs but may also be following a different family than Plantagenet did. This whole thing (numbers 1-18) comes from Jean Kinzalow at the Wickliffe pages on Genforum:
Most of the information I have came from the book, Kincheloe, McPherson, and
Related Families. It goes like this starting with the oldest generation:
1. Roger de Wyckliffe
2. Robert de Wyckliffe
3. Roger de Wyckliffe m. Margaret de Multon
4. Robert de Wyckliffe m. Matilda de Mumby
5. Robert de Wyckliffe m. Matilda de Belise
6. Robert de Wyckliffe m. Johanna de Ellerton
7. Roger de Wyckliffe m. Katherine
8. Roger de Wyckliffe (brothers Robert & John)
9. Roger de Wyckliffe
10. John de Wyckliffe m. Anne Rokeby
11. Robert Wyckliffe m. Margaret Conyers (3 sons - ?, Ralph, & John)
12. John Wyckliffe m. Margaret Surtees
13. William Wyckliffe m. Dorothy Place
14. Francis Wyckliffe m. Jane Rokeby (5 sons)
15. Anthony Wyckliffe
16. David Wyckliffe m. Jane ? (4 children)
17. David Wyckliffe m. Mary Sisson (4 children)
18. Isaac Wyckliffe m. Elizabeth Cullen (2 children)
***End of info from Genforum.
Plantagenet says the parish of Wycliffe "contains the townships of Wycliffe,
Thorpe-upon-Tees, and Girlington. It is romantically situated on the south
bank of the river Tees, and is distant five miles south-east from Barnard
Castle and eleven miles north from Richmond." Wycliffe (written Witclive) is
mentioned in the famous Domesday Book.
The following comes from
http://www.houseofnames.com/wycliffe-family-crest/English:
The surname Wycliffe is an English habitational name derived from Wycliffe, a
village on the south bank of the River Tees. Originally the village was
located in the North Riding of Yorkshire but was transferred to the County
Durham in 1974.
[Note from Dave: This village of Wycliffe is also known as Wycliffe-on-Tees.
It is about eight miles northwest of Richmond.]
There is a genealogy of this Wycliffe family from Yorkshire in An History
of Richmondshire, in the North Riding of the County of York; together with
those parts of the Everwicschire of Domesday which form The Wapentakes of
Lonsdale, Ewecross, and Amunderness, in the Counties of York, Lancaster, and
Westmoreland, by Thomas Dunham WHITAKER. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees
(and others), 1823. 2 volumes. It says the first three generations "are not
sufficiently proved." Those three generations come just before this one (for
those I am following Plantagenet and not Whitaker); so from this John Wycliffe
on, this Wycliffe genealogy seems pretty solid. It also matches up with the
Plantagenet genealogy from this John down to the two daughters of William
Wycliffe (Dorothy and Katherine) who were the last Wycliffes (by name at
least) to inherit Wycliffe manor.
About this John, the author Whitaker mentioned above says this:
John Wycliffe of Wycliffe, in Com York, Esquire, living 22 Henry VI 1444.
Married Jane, daughter of Sir. Thomas Rokesbye, knight.
There is a little more written after John. It says 3 December 1 Henry VI
[1422]. From other sources it looks like this is the date when this John
Wycliffe became the "armiger" of the name Wycliffe which means that he was
allowed to use that coat of arms.
In the genealogy in the Pearson book, John's wife is named Agnes. It is hard
to read the name of John's wife in the Whitaker genealogy, but it looks like
Jane or June to me. It does not look like Agnes. It's in the binding, though.
I'm sure the original is clearer. Her name is Agnes in The Genealogist
(New Series, xxi, 95). I'll go with that. A couple of times I've seen it as
Anne. Plantagenet has it as Anne, too.
There is some information on this Wycliffe branch in Flower's Visitations,
1564 and Plantagenet Ancestry Harrison, p. 426. I have checked
those and included any pertinent information from those sources.
Acording to The Victoria History of the County of York, North Riding
(edited by William Page, F.S.A.., v. 1,Constable and Company Limited: London,
1914), this John Wycliffe seems to represent a new dynasty of Wycliffes who
may or may not have been related by blood to the previous Wycliffes who were
lords of the manor at Wycliffe in North Riding. He was probably John, son of
John de Ellerton. The article (pages 138-139) says in a note 34 (p. 139) that
the Wycliffes and Ellertons had "some relationship for the Wycliffes quartered
the three harts' heads ascribed to the coat of arms of Ellerton." The coat of
arms of the Wycliffes (Wycliffe of Wycliffe) was silver and had a chevron
between three sable (black) crosslets. A later coat of arms of William
Wycliffe (a great-grandson of John Wycliffe, formerly John de Ellerton) had
the shield divided into four quarters with two quarters being the chevron
between three sable crosslets and the other two quarters being three harts's
heads in the chevron.
We really will probably never know for sure, but there could very well be a
blood relationship between John of Ellerton and the Wycliffes of Wycliffe. He
could have been a Wycliffe, though, but had his lands in Ellerton. People did
not go by surnames back then the way we do so now. Their surnames often came
from the name of the town where they lived and their surnames could even
switch back and forth depending on the lands they held. Let's suppose his
family came from Wycliffe, but he had somehow taken on lands in Ellerton. He
could have become known as John of Ellerton in that case. This will probably
have to remain a matter of speculation. He did have a son named Robert and
that was a very common name in the Wycliffe family. The connection might also
come from John de Ellerton's wife who might well have been a Wycliffe.
Plantagenet has this John as the son of Roger de Wycliffe who was a
man-at-arms in the French wars. This Roger was the son of another Roger who
was a knight who fought in many battles. This Roger I just now mentioned was
supposedly the brother of the reformer John Wycliffe.
At the Society of Genealogists library in London, there is an interesting
thing from the Radcliffe Box (Folder 1, p. 67) about, supposedly, Ralph
Wycliffe, John's grandson; however, it calls him Rauf Wycliff "one of the sons
of John Wyclyf and Agnes his wife." That is probably a mistake since it should
say "one of the sons of Robert Wycliffe and his wife Anne." Or this is talking
about Robert and not Ralph. It comes from "Early Chanc. Pror. 31/166." I'll
type the whole thing below as I understand it: This would make more sense if
it were Robert Wycliffe. The problem might be that someone misread "Rauf" for
"Rbt."
To the Rr. Rev. George Archbp of York & chauncelor - Ye poore bedeman Rauf
Wycliff Gentleman an oon of the sones of John Wyclyf and Agnes his wyf now ded
Where he beying seised.. of the manour of Wyclyf (& lds there of in Thorp on
Tees Gyllying Richemond Barton Newsom Ellerton in Swaldall & [other places
specified])... and of trust that the sd John had in John Catryh And Cristofore
Norton Wyth William late lord ffitzhugh and John Forster late ??? Sone of the
Kyrk of Wyclyf now ded enfeffed them in the sd lds ? to perform his will -
which John Wyclyf ye xxj day of September in the yere of Henry ye Sixt late
in dede and not of right King of England lying sore Syk ... John Catryh &
Crystofore to make a state to yer sd besecher and to the Wy males of his body
immediately after.
What I am guessing from this is that this John Wycliffe made his will on
September 21, 1470 since that is the one year that Henry VI ruled England
after he was returned to the throne for a short time until his death in 1471.
This is a wild guess, but I'll go with it for now until there is more
evidence.
Another important piece of information from this is about "Ellerton in
Swaldall." This John Wycliffe was from Ellerton in Swaledale and so the
Ellerton village mentioned above is probably where John de Ellerton is from.
About the villages called Ellerton in Yorkshire, www.British-History.ac.uk/
says this: "Considerable confusion has arisen in consequence of there being
more than one Ellerton in Yorkshire; Ellerton on Spalding Moor, where was a
Gilbertine priory; Ellerton on Swale, to the south-east of Richmond; and
Ellerton in the parish of Downholme, also 'on Swale,' where the nunnery was
situated (from: 'Houses of Cistercians nuns: Ellerton in Swaledale', A History
of the County of York: Volume 3 (1974), pp. 160-161)."
In History of Richmond, by Chritopher Clarkson, p. 322, there is
supposed to be a reference to a nunnery in Ellerton in Swaledale (I think the
documentation on this goes back much further than Clarkson's reference of
course). It says that in 1347 the Scots, making an inroad into Swaledale,
entered the nunnery there and carried away seven charters and writings; one of
these was a grant from Robert de Wicliff to Margaret, the prioress at that
time, of an annual rent of 6s. 8d. This must have been an old grant from
before 1347; so it probably came from the Robert Wycliffe who lived in the
latter part of the 1100's, the father of Roger and Avicia/Alicia.
From the information above, my guess is that the connection between the
Ellerton family and the Wycliffes of Wycliffe is in regard to the village of
Ellerton in the parish of Downholme which is also on the River Swale. That
kind of connection is the only documentated one which I've seen between
Wycliffes and a specific place called Ellerton. There is further evidence for
this in Harrison's pedigree from The History of Yorkshire; Wapentake of
Gilling West, by Marshall General Plantagenet Harrison (1885). He says
Johanna, wife of Robert Wycliffe, is the daughter of William the son of
Galfred of Ellerton-in-Swaledale.
From www.Genuki.org.uk, we find this description of Ellerton: "ELLERTON, in
the parish of Downholme, wapentake of Hang West, and liberty of Richmondshire;
2 miles W. of Downholme, 3 miles SE. of Reeth. Pop. 47.
Here was a small Priory of Cistercian Nuns, founded, it is supposed, by
Warnerus, Chief Steward to the Earl of Richmond, in the time of Henry II. it
was surrendered, 26th Henry VIII. by Johanna the last prioress, and was valued
at 15L. 10s. 6d. clear. -Burton. It was situated on the south banks of the
Swale, a little below the Priory of Marrick, very little of which now remains.
The Shell of the Church is entire."
So this Ellerton is about 10 miles south south-west from Wycliffe-on-Tees.
That is quite a little distance, but not out of the realm of possibility -
especially given the fact that the other Ellertons are even further away. I
believe this is the closest Ellerton to Wycliffe-on-Tees.
I have found a very interesting article on the connection of the Ellertons to
the Wycliffes in The Yorkshire Archealogical Journal, v. 19 (1907), pp.
414-416. If what it says is true, this would establish the connection between
the Wycliffes and the Ellertons through a male line of Wycliffes. Here is the
article:
SCULPTURED STONES AT WYCLIFFE
By H. D. Pritchett
The sculptured stones represented upon the opposite page have been preserved
by being let into the south wall of Wycliffe-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, at a
height of about six feet from the ground to the centre of the cross-shaft. The
freestone grave-cover was found in 1801, close to the foundations of the
church, whilst some rubbish was being removed. It formed the cover of a stone
coffin, which was found to be empty, and had previously been opened and
rifled. The cover, unquestionably a work of the thirteenth century, presents a
most beautiful and perfect foliated cross, the head of which stands out half
an inch or more from the surface of the stone, whilst the sinkings are down to
the same plane. The inscription is in flush leaded letters, most of which are
perfect. In the drawing, the letters which are perfect are shown black, whilst
those from which the lead is missing are in outline only. The inscription
appears to be:-
* CI GIST | ISEQDE | DE | HELA . . . .
FEMME THOMAS DE TH. . . [?Thorpe]. {Fn1}
{Fn1} In the "Inquisitiones Feodorum,"&c. (1287), the following occurs:- Hoton
Parva (Little Hutton), "Sunt ibi 3 Caruc. terrae, umde 12, &c., quas Wil. de
Hoton tenet de Roberto filio Thomae de Thorpe & ipse Kobertus de Cornite et
Comes de Rece." It may fairly be conjectured that this was the same Thomas de
Thorpe.
The stone above the grave-cover is a single slab of Tees marble or blue
limestone, with a pinnacle or finial in the centre, dividing two shields of
arms. It has a broadly splayed base, and has no doubt at one time formed part
of a Wyclifie monument or altartomb, and most probably was placed in its
present position, along with the grave-cover, soon after 1801. The carving is
in a wonderful state of preservation, the shields standing out as much as 2
1/2 inches from the slab. The first shield is :- Quarterly, 1 and 4, Argent a
chevron between three crosses croslet sable, for Wycliffe of Thorpe; 2 and 3,
Argent on a chevron sable three bucks' heads caboshed of the field, for
Ellerton. The Ellerton coat was brought into the Wycliffe shield about the
commencement of the fourteenth century, by the marriage of Robert Wyclifle
(who was living 30 Edw. I. and 1 Edw. III.) with Joan, daughter and heir of
Geoffrey de Ellerton of Swaledale. The second shield on the slab has the
same quartered coat, impaling-Argent a chevron sable between three rooks
proper, a fleur de-lis on the chevron, for Rokeby. This records the marriage
of John Wycliffe, who, according to Harrison's pedigree, was
great-great-grandson of the above-mentioned Robert, and who at all events was
present at Agincourt in 1415, with Ann, daughter of Sir Thomas Rokeby of
Rokeby and Mortham.
[Note from Dave: The 30th year of Edward I was about 1302 and the 1st year of
Edward III was about 1327. These references to a Robert Wycliffe do not
necessarily refer to the same Robert Wycliffe - as far a I know. They may or
may not, but my guess is that they don't.
There is of course no indication of tinctures on the stone, but these have
been supplied from a MS. of Yorkshire arms, in Dugdale's handwriting, which is
now in the possession of the Rev. Carus V. Collier, F.S.A. The fleur-de-lis in
the Rokeby coat is probably a cadency mark, but the curious scoring or
incisions on the chevrons is singular, especially as they are not extended to
the Ellerton coat. Dugdale gives the Wycliffe chevron as plain, and this
appearance of four chevronels is perhaps nothing more than a fancy of the
stonecutter. Dr. Whitaker gives an illustration and description of these
stones in his History of Richmondshire, vol. i., pp. 199 and 200, but it is
incorrect in several particulars.
The following comes from
http://freespace.virgin.net/bob.ellerton/CoatOfArms.htm:
According to researcher Peter Ellerton the arms on the right (see image at web
site) were last borne by John Ellerton of Swaledale, who took on the name of
Wycliffe in 1422. The Ellerton/Wycliffe coat of arms can be seen in Wycliffe
Church on a brass plate in the altar floor.
[Note from Dave: The coat of arms in the floor is not the same as the one
belonging to William Wycliffe, his great-grandson. William's is on the outside
of the south wall of the church in Wycliffe.]
Here is that whole article from British History Online and from the book
Victoria County History: A History of the County of York North Riding,
volume 1, edited by William Page, 1914, pages 138-139:
WYCLIFFE
Wigeclif (vii cent.); Witclive (xi cent.); Huitcliffe (xiii cent.).
The 'beauties of Teesdale,' wrote Whitaker, 'with the exception of one
magnificent feature, are nearly concentrated in the three diminutive and
contiguous parishes of Brignall, Rokeby and Wycliffe.' (fn. 1) Wycliffe is of
the same pastoral type of river scenery that has made Brignall and Rokeby so
admired. The parish is composed of the village of Wycliffe and the small
hamlets of Ovington and Thorpe. Ovington was formerly in the parish of Forcett
(q.v.), but by an Order in Council of 1899 was constituted a member of this
parish. The original area was 2,491 acres of land with 32 acres covered by
water. In Wycliffe and Thorpe there are 740 acres arable land, 1,184 acres
permanent grass, and 48 acres woods and plantations. (fn. 2) The average
elevation is from 400 ft. to 460 ft. The subsoil is Yoredale Rocks with recent
alluvium in the valley of the Tees; the soil is loam, the chief crops raised
being barley, wheat, oats and roots. Watling Street cuts through the
south-west corner of the parish, touching Thorpe Grange. An earthwork called
Cockshot Camp at Ovington covers 4 acres of ground. (fn. 3) The water-mill of
Wycliffe is mentioned in 1348 (fn. 4) and 1578 (fn. 5) ; it was doubtless on
the site of what is now a saw-mill.
The village of Wycliffe is composed of the church, the rectory, which contains
a portrait of John Wycliffe by Antonio Mor, and a few red-tiled cottages
picturesquely grouped among trees at the edge of the River Tees. Wycliffe
Hall, the residence of Major Gerald M. Harding, and its park adjoin the church
on the east. The hall is a plain classical building of the 18th century.
Three-quarters of a mile west of the village the river is crossed by a
suspension bridge.
This peaceful parish was in the 15th century the scene of a double murder.
Early in 1482 Roland Mewburne, parson of the church of Wycliffe, 'waylaid
Robert Manfield with a knife and pierced his heart so that he died.' (fn. 6)
The parson was for some reason pardoned by the king, (fn. 7) but the kinsman
of the murdered man took his own vengeance, thus described in the Sanctuary
Records at Durham (fn. 8) :-
On the 25th day of February a.d. 1485, James Manfield, late of Wycliffe,
gentleman, came in person to the church of St. Cuthbert in Durham, and
striking on the bell of the same, prayed for the sanctuary of the said church,
and the liberty of St. Cuthbert, for that he, together with others, had near
the village of Ovington in the county of York, about the 26th of January as he
thinks, of the aforesaid year, insulted a certain Sir Roland Mebburne,
chaplain, rector of Wycliffe, and had struck the same feloniously in the body
with a wallych bill, and given him a mortal hurt of which he incontinently
died. (fn. 9)
A more serious interest attaches to Wycliffe as being possibly the birthplace
of the great reformer, or at least the seat of the family to which he belonged
(fn. 10) ; but, although it claims this connexion with 'the morning star of
the Reformation,' its lords have remained Roman Catholics until the present
time. During the time the Penal Laws were in force mass, it is said, was
celebrated in secrecy at Girlington Hall, an Elizabethan house to the east of
Wycliffe, now a farm-house. They had later a chapel attached to Wycliffe Hall.
There is now a Roman Catholic church of St. Mary at Wycliffe, erected in
1848-9, (fn. 11) and connected with it is a day school for boys and girls.
Manors
Bishop Ecgred of Lindisfarne (consecrated 830), according to the Chronicles
built the vills of Cliff and Wycliffe beyond Tees and gave them to St.
Cuthbert for the support of those serving him. Afterwards King Ella of
Northumbria (d. 867) took these vills and others from him, and as a
punishment, the chronicler adds, the Danes were sent against the king and he
was slain 'similarly to King Saul the son of Kish.' (fn. 12)
In 1086 WYCLIFFE, comprising 12 carucates, all waste, was part of the soke of
the manor of Gilling (q.v.), which had passed from Earl Edwin to Count Alan.
Girlington and Thorpe in Wycliffe parish were also at this time soke of
Gilling, and all three places afterwards continued to be members of the honour
of Richmond. (fn. 13) The mesne lord of Wycliffe, Girlington and half the vill
of Thorpe was in 1286-7 William de Kirkton. (fn. 14) In 1300 Roger de Edenham
and Joan his wife and her heirs granted the service of this fee to Harsculph
de Cleasby, (fn. 15) who held it in 1302-3. (fn. 16) With one exception (fn.
17) the manor is after this time always said to be held directly of the castle
of Richmond.
The under-tenants, the family of Wycliffe, obtained the advowson of the church
in 1263, (fn. 18) but the date of their enfeoffment of the manor is not
recorded. In 1252-3 Beatrice de Maunby granted a messuage and rent in Wycliffe
to Robert de Wycliffe, (fn. 19) presumably the same Robert who held Wycliffe
in demesne in 1286-7 and was also lord of Girlington and Thorpe. (fn. 20)
Robert was alive in 1300 (fn. 21) and dead in 1302-3, when Robert his son
[Note from Dave: I think "Robert his son" is supposed to be "Roger his son"]
paid the subsidy. (fn. 22) Robert was lord in 1316, (fn. 23) Roger paid the
subsidy in 1332-3 (fn. 24) and was lord in 1347-9. (fn. 25) The latter was
exempted by the king from being on any assize, jury or recognition and from
being made a mayor, sheriff, coroner, escheator or other bailiff or minister
against his will. (fn. 26) There is an inscription to him in Wycliffe Church.
John de Wycliffe his successor evidently attained his majority in 1363, for
whereas Katharine widow of Roger presented to the church in 1362, he presented
in 1363 and again in 1369. (fn. 27) He was still returned as lord in 1375,
(fn. 28) but by 1389 a clerk, Robert de Wycliffe, had become head of this
family. Although a prominent man, the position of Robert, like that of his
famous contemporary John, is quite unknown in this obscure pedigree. (fn. 29)
Perhaps the Black Death, which made fearful ravages in these parts, may have
been the means of conveying the family estates to an unexpectant younger son.
Robert had been rector of Wycliffe in 1362 and resigned in 1363, and from 1377
until his death he was rector of Hutton Rudby in Cleveland. Among his other
preferments were the rectories of Kirkby Ravensworth, St. Cross in York and
Romaldkirk. He was Master of Kepier Hospital before 1405, Temporal Chancellor
and Receiver General of the bishopric, and constable of Durham Castle from
1390 to 1405. He died at Kepier in 1423. (fn. 30) In 1412 he settled the manor
and advowson of Wycliffe on himself with remainders to (1) Sir Thomas
Pykworth, kt., and the children of Ellen his late wife, (2) John son of John
de Ellerton and his heirs male, who were to assume the cognomen of Wycliffe
and bear the ancient arms, (3) Robert son of John de Langton (fn. 31) and
Thomas son of John de la Mare. (fn. 32) Thus John de Wycliffe, who was lord in
1428, (fn. 33) may have been John son of John de Ellerton (fn. 34) and
represent a new dynasty of Wycliffes. He married Agnes daughter of Sir Thomas
Rokeby and left a son and heir Robert, (fn. 35) who died seised in 1494,
leaving a son and heir Ralph. (fn. 36) Robert settled the manor on Ralph and
his heirs male on condition that he should not sell any part of it. Ralph,
however, sold part of it, and thereupon the property descended to one William
Wycliffe, (fn. 37) son of his brother John, (fn. 38) who paid the subsidy in
1545-6 (fn. 39) and died in 1584, leaving a son and heir Francis. (fn. 40)
Francis died seised of the manor and advowson in 1593, leaving a son and heir
William, (fn. 41) who died seised in 1611, leaving daughters and heirs Dorothy
wife of John Wytham and Katharine wife of Marmaduke Tunstall. (fn. 42) The
entail had been removed by a deed of 1607, (fn. 43) and there are various
documents to which John Wytham and Dorothy were parties, settling the manor
and advowson, (fn. 44) which ultimately came to Marmaduke and Katharine.
Marmaduke Tunstall fought on the Royalists' side in the Civil War, and, being
taken prisoner by the Parliamentary forces on his return from Newark in 1645,
was kept captive until 1647. He then obtained leave to compound for his estate
and to produce writings showing that he had only a life interest in it. (fn.
45) His grandson Marmaduke Tunstall in 1728 conveyed his manors of Scargill,
Hutton Magna and Wycliffe and the advowson of the church of Wycliffe to a
trustee for barring all estates tail, remainders and reversions. (fn. 46) He
lived at Wycliffe, (fn. 47) where he was succeeded in 1760 by his nephew
Marmaduke (second son of Cuthbert Constable, who had changed his name from
Tunstall on succeeding to the Burton Constable estates as heir of Viscount
Dunbar), who resumed the family name and in 1776 came to live at Wycliffe and
transferred his natural history museum there. This Tunstall was a noted
naturalist; his collection of birds alone cost £5,000. The museum was
afterwards purchased by the celebrated antiquary George Allan of Grange, with
whose collections it passed in 1822 to the Literary and Philosophical Society
of Newcastle-on-Tyne. (fn. 48) On Marmaduke's death without issue the manors
of Wycliffe, Hutton Magna and Scargill reverted to William elder son of
Cuthbert, who entailed all his estates on his nephew Edward Sheldon. Edward
Sheldon took the surname of Constable, left no children and was succeeded by
his brother Francis, who also took this surname and died in 1821. Francis was
succeeded by his maternal kinsman Sir Thomas Hugh Clifford, (fn. 49) whose
descendant Major Walter George Raleigh Chichester-Constable is now owner.
Wycliffe of Wycliffe. Argent a cheveron between three crosslets sable.
The last of the Wycliffes is said to have been Mrs. Catharine Wade, née
Wycliffe, buried at Whitkirk, Yorks., in 1838. (fn. 50)
***End of info from the British History Online site.