Notes for: Robert Wycliffe
The name of this Wycliffe comes from a 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 seems to be the only one that goes back this far; so I will go with it for now.
About his, the pedigree says "Robert de Wycliffe, parson of the church of Wycliffe; plaintiff in a plea of trespass against John Neville of Hornby, 51 (?) Edward III [abt 1377]. Living 6 Richard II [abt 1383], 7 Henry IV [abt 1406] and 5 Henry V [abt 1418]. Parson at the church of Rudby 5 Henryt V [abt 1418] and 1 Henry VI [abt 1422]."
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 (this is one of those three) "are not sufficiently proved." So we need to take that into account as we look at this. Whitaker first lists Robert de Wycliff, then Roger Wycliffe, husband of Catherine, then William Wycliffe, husband of Frances. About this Robert, Whitaker has written in his assumption in the margin of this genealogy. He guesses, it seems, that William had brothers John (the Reformer) and a cleric named Robert Wycliffe the rector of St. Cruix, York. About Robert he wrote this:
Robert Wycliffe, cleric,* rector of
St. Cruix, York.
*I can't read the word well that I have as "cleric" above. It looks something like ePeus.
Regarding this entry for Robert, Whitaker also puts in the margin: Vide (See) Fuller's Worthies Tanner, p. 767, &c. This must refer to some entry about Tanner in Thomas Fuller's book The History of the Worthies of England,
From The Victorian History of the County of York, North Riding (v. 1, pp. 138-139), we learn that a Robert de Wycliffe, a clerk, had become head of this family by 1389. The book goes on to say, "Although a prominent man, the position of Robert, like that of his famous contemporary John, is quite unknown in this obscure pedigree. 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 Hutton Rudby in Cleveland. Among his other preferments were the rectory 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 1390-1405. He died at Kepier in 1423 (Wills and Invent. in the Archd. of Richmond, [Surt. Soc.], 66-68n.). In 1412, he settled the advowson on 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 males heir, who were to assume the cognomen of Wycliffe and bear the ancient arms, (3) Robert son of John de Langton and Thomas son of John de la Mare. Thus John de Wycliffe, who was Lord in 1428, may have been John the son of John de Ellerton and represent a new dynasty of Wycliffes."
And from Workman (p. 41), we read, "We have reason to believe, however, that Robert Wyclif's retirement from the living at Wycliffe in August 1363 was due to exchange or preferment, not to death (In Torre's list the vacancy is not entered as caused by death). I think his possible brother John the Reformer and their mother were actually in charge of the Manor back then. Robert then took over once John died in 1384. That fits the events of that time when this Robert took over as head of the family by 1389.
Workman (p. 41) seems to suggest that this Robert Wycliffe cannot be the reformer's brother since he says this Robert Wycliffe cannot be the one who was rector of Rudby who died in 1423. Workman says that would make him nearly 90 when he died. I agree that not many people lived to 90 back in those days, but I think it was certainly possible.
Here is something from Yorkshire Monumental Inscriptions, v. 38 (YK/M79):
There is a section on Kirkby Hill (Kirkby Ravensworth), St Peter and St Felix. The Index is not complete so I had to browse through quickly looking for the surname Wycliffe. On the last page I found this:
Record #20 is a short "List of incumbents of the ancient parish of Kirkby Ravensworth c1160-1968." Just three are listed. One is "1379 Robert de Wycliffe brother of Thomas Wycliffe the translator of the first English Bible."
Here is a query from Notes and Queries (Second Series), v. 7, p. 297: "Rob Wycliff. - Who was Rob. Wycliff, Cap. Rector of St. Croix in the city of York, between the years 1352 and 1379? Was he of the same family as the great reformer? The living of St. Crux at that time was in the gift of the abbot and convent of St. Mary's, York. - R. Stillingfleet." This query did not get an answer it seems.
If this Robert was John's brother, it does look like he was a devout Catholic. Here is some extended discussion from Workman (44-48):
With such slight links between John Wyclif and his family we must rest content. That so little has been preserved is due, no doubt, to the complete lack of all sympathy with him in the home circle, as we see in the elimination of all mention of his name from their records. In the years of the triumph of Wyclif's faith his family, as also other families in the neighbourhood, with Yorkshire tenacity remained devoted adherents of Rome, carrying with them the majority of the inhabitants of the tiny village. During the time of the penal laws mass was celebrated in secret at their manor house of Girlington. At Wycliffe the family built a chapel of the old faith close to their house, in its turn superseded by a chapel at some little distance. This lack of sympathy is seen especially in one Robert Wyclif, probably his nephew [Note from Dave: or possibly his brother]. This energetic ecclesiastic, who showed much of John Wyclif's mental powers, according to some writers began his clerical career as rector of Wycliffe from August 1362 to August 1363. But we have shown cause for regarding this as extremely unlikely. Our earliest mention of Robert would appear to be a letter from John of Gaunt to his forester at Knaresborough ordering him to deliver a grey doe to "sire Robert de Wyclif" (21 June 1373). In May 1378 Robert was parson of Holy Cross, York. Like the Reformer, possibly through his assistance, Robert entered the king's service before 1378 when he signed as one of the witnesses of a grant to Robert Alington of an acre of land at Radclif-on-Trent. In July 1379 Robert, described as "the king's clerk," was appointed a member of a commission to ascertain the yearly values of the alien priories in the counties of Northumberland, Westmorland, and Cumberland. As "king's clerk" he secured (20 Sept. 1380) the promise of "the second vacant canonry in Dublin." From the poor living of Holy Cross Robert went to Kirkby Ravensworth in the dales of North Yorkshire, a parish in which the Wyclifs owned some tenements. This living he exchanged with Richard Middleham on the 7th May 1382 for that of St. Ronald Kirk. Both these livings had at one time been rich the second living was worth in 1291 the large sum of L73 6s. 8d. but they had suffered much from the Scots. Robert's last cure of souls, for he resigned St. Ronald Kirk on the 1st January 1392, was at Hutton Rudby in Cleveland, a district in which he had negotiated many business transactions. This wealthy living he held till his death. From 1390 to 1405 Robert acted as chancellor and receiver-general of his friend Walter Skirlaw, bishop of Durham. As chancellor he took a leading part in the trial at Bishop Auckland of a famous lollard, Richard Wyche. During the same period Robert was also constable of Durham castle.
Robert Wyclif was a trusted man of affairs, who was frequently employed in splitting up tenancies in chief in Yorkshire into demesne tenancies. But other legal business was not refused. In 1386 he acted as agent in raising money for Sir Ralph Neville. In June 1388 he became bail in London in a will case for one of his clients, Alice Cotterell. In the same year he brought a writ under the Statute of Labourers against one M. B., with whom he had made a covenant: "M.", he said, "was in his service and lived with him at his house and afterwards departed out of his service in Holburn within the term without reason and against the statute."
"M." was taken by the sheriff of London, but pleaded that he had made no covenant with Wyclif. Finally he was committed to the Fleet prison, "but afterwards found mainprise." From this record it is evident that Robert had lodgings in London near the lawyers of the Temple, with whom, virtually, he should be classed. On the 22nd October 1392 Wyclif acted as attorney for Sir Philip Darcy who was "going to Ireland," for whom also, six years later, he served as executor. As such he was responsible for seeing that "five wax lights each of 8 lb., and 24 torches" were burnt at the funeral and that ten pounds were spent "for a marble stone to be laid on my grave with the image of myself and of Elizabeth my wife fixed thereon." But there were few noble families in the north of England, including the Percies, with whom Robert Wyclif had no legal dealings, often as an executor, sometimes as legatee. He was more than a lawyer priest; from the death of John Wyclif he was the recognized head of his family. He was proud of his family. Even the curtains of his bed, as we see in his will, were embroidered with their arms. He placed also the Wyclif armorial bearings argent, a chevron sable between three crosslets gules in the cloisters of Durham cathedral. The building of these was begun by bishop Skirlaw, Robert Wyclif's patron, and finished by Skirlaw's executors, of whom Robert was one.
[Note from Dave: The stone mentioned above is for Darcy's wife Elizabeth.]
In 1412 Robert Wyclif settled the manor and advowson of Wycliffe on himself with remainder first to Sir John Pykeworth, knight, and the children of Ellen, his late wife, and then to John, son of John de Ellerton and his heirs male who were to assume the cognomen of Wyclif and bear the ancient arms. Proably John Ellerton thus became the John de Wyclif who was lord of the manor in 1423* and 1428** and from whom the future lords until Marmaduke Tunstall descended. If so Robert Wyclif was the last blood descendant of the Wyclifs of whom we have any knowledge, the further lords of Wyclif being of a new stock.*** On the 8th September 1423 Robert made his will**** at Kepier hospital, a mile from Durham, of which before 1405 he had become master, though still retaining his living at Rudby, a lucrative post worth about L60 a year. There also he died a few days later. He left numerous cups of silver and gilt to various friends, and his chief books to the hospital of Kepier. To his senior curate, John de Middleton, he left the worsted coverlet in which he used to sleep. He bequeathed considerable legacies to various local churches including 40s. for the repair of Wycliffe church, and 40s. for "the restoration of the ornaments in the chancel" and "40s. for the poor of Wycliffe," as well as 40s. to each of the parishes of which he had been rector or vicar. Few stranger contrasts can be drawn than that between the careers of John and Robert Wyclif; the one was the embodiment of all that the other hated.
*For a debt of 16s. paid to him as such in that year see Finchale, p. clxxxii, and for his other financial transactions in 1418-20, ib., pp. clxxvi-ix.
**Feudal Aids, vi. 296. Evidently the family was already impoverished, for John held only a fourth part of that which Roger once held in Wycliffe, Thorpe, and Girlington.
***Of the later Wyclifs the will of John Wyclif of St. Nicholas, Richmond, in 1562 has an interesting inventory. See J. Raine, Wills and Inventories of Richmond (Surtees Soc., 1853), pp. 156-64.
****First printed in Vaughan, Mon. 545-6 from Reg. Langley, f. 115. It has since been printed in Wills Durham, i. 66-68. The roll of legacies was not appended to the Durham probate, but is printed in Test. Ebor. i. 403-5. The legacy in it to "John Wyclif" must be to John de Ellerton who had now taken the name of Wyclif.
From John Wyclif and His English Precursor, by Gotthard Victor Lechler (p. 90), we read this:
It is, moreover, a remarkable fact, that the family of the Wiclifs, after the death of their most celebrated member, and in particular from the Reformation dTMvn to their extinction, was always distinguished for special fidelity to the Church of Rome. In 1423, a certain Robert Wyclif, parish priest of Rudby, in the diocese of York, made a will which leaves no room for doubt that the testator was very far from sharing the views of John Wiclif. At the commencement of the document he commends his soul to "Almighty God, to Saint Mary, and to all Saints;" he passes over the Redeemer in entire silence; he makes more than one provision for masses for the repose of souls; and he leaves several legacies in favour of nuns and Mendicant monks, etc. From the circumstance that such soul masses are to be said, not only for himself, but also for the souls of his father, mother, and all his benefactors, it is plain that the parents of the testator must also have been strict Romanists. Among the four churches, for the repair of each of which he left forty shillings, is named the church of "Wyclyf," and to the poor of the same parish is also left a sum of forty shillings. These two latter dispositions are unquestionable indications that the testator was connected by birth with that locality.