Notes for: William Wycliffe
It is highly doubtful that this William Wycliffe is a son of Roger and Catherine Wycliffe, but some do put him in this family. I will leave him here for now, but do realize that this is quite uncertain.
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." So we need to take that into account as we look at this. Whitaker first lists a Robert de Wycliff, then Roger Wycliffe, husband of Catherine, then this William Wycliffe, husband of Frances. About this William, Whitaker says this:
William Wycliffe, of = Frances daug(hter) of Sir Robert
Wycliffe, Esq(uire) ||| Belasysse, of _____, Knt.
This means William Wycliffe of Wycliffe (Esquire) married Frances. She was the daughter of Sir Robert Belasysse. The blank seems to indicate Whitaker did not know where he was from. The "Kn" is followed by some superscript letter which I can't read (maybe a 't'). I think it stands for knight. Workman writes Belasysse as Bellasis.
Poulson's book on Holderness (v. 2) says this William was the father of the John Wycliffe who married Anne Rokeby. That is uncertain, though.
Since this William did not take over the Manor at Wycliffe, we can assume that he either died childless before August 1362 when his mother seemed to be in charge of the Manor or else William was not the oldest son.
Before an inquisition post mortum held in 1367 (41st year of King Edward III), it seems this William might have died, but that is unclear from what I've read so far. The Wycliffe heirs (who were these?) held three carucates of land in Thorp-upon-Tees, by military service and valet per ann. 5 marks. This may even say that a John Wycliffe held those three carucates of land.
This could well be the William Wycliffe who was the rector at Wycliffe church from August 7, 1363 until 1369 when he died (see Thompson in Arch. Jour., lxxi, 148). Workman thinks it could have been the Reformer's cousin. That is also possible. He was a clericus (or clerk) so he could not have had a family or been married.
This William is not listed as a son of Roger and Catherine in the Wycliffe pedigree in The History of Yorkshire; Wapentake of Gilling West, by Marshall General Plantagenet Harrison (1885). I don't know where Harrison got this information. I can only assume it is guesswork on his part from looking at old records. Harrison's pedigree does seem to be the most researched of all the pedigrees that I've seen. He is probably right that this William is not the Reformer's brother.
Workman (42) says, "On the 5th August 1365 this William Wyclif was granted by archbishop Thoresby a licence for non-residence for two years to study at Oxford, probably in theology.
I very much doubt that this William was the father of the John Wycliffe who married Agnes Rokeby; so I will delete that link for now.