Coat of Arms of Sir Richard Ratcliffe, KG

Sir Richard Ratcliffe, KG (died 22 August 1485) was a close confidant of Richard III of England.

Life

Ratcliffe came from a

gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest c ...

family in the Lake District, and became a companion of Richard when the latter was still Duke of Gloucester (1461–83). He was one of Richard's trustees in the lordship of Richmond, and was named steward of

Barnard Castle Barnard Castle (, ) is a market town on the north bank of the River Tees, in County Durham, Northern England. The town is named after and built around a medieval castle ruin. The town's Bowes Museum's has an 18th-century Silver Swan automato ...

. Richard, while Duke of Gloucester,

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed Ratcliffe during the Scottish campaigns, at the same time creating him a knight banneret.Ross, Charles. ''Richard III''. 1981 During the seizure of power by Richard III, Ratcliffe was chosen to return to the north and organize an army to help the Protector, as Richard III was then titled. Some sources name Ratcliffe as the person who gave the order to execute

Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers (c. 144025 June 1483), was an English nobleman, courtier, bibliophile and writer. He was the brother of Queen Elizabeth Woodville who married King Edward IV. He was one of the leading members of the Woodvi ...

(beheaded Jun 1483). When Richard became king he gave Ratcliffe a number of offices, including the currently attainted hereditary

High Sheriff of Westmorland Westmorland (sometimes spelled Westmoreland) in North West England was abolished in 1974 following Ted Heath's Local Government Act 1972. Westmorland became a part of Cumbria along with Cumberland, parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire, including the ...

, and made him a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

. He also received a large grant of lands, including much that had belonged to the Courtenay

Earls of Devon Earl of Devon was created several times in the English peerage, and was possessed first (after the Norman Conquest of 1066) by the de Redvers (''alias'' de Reviers, Revieres, etc.) family, and later by the Courtenay family. It is not to be con ...

. After the

rebellion of 1483 The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

he was given a very large number of forfeited estates. As a result, he had an income larger than most barons. In July 1484, William Collingbourne, a Tudor agent, nailed a lampooning poem to St Paul's Cathedral, London, which obliquely identifies Ratcliffe as one of the three aides to King Richard: The "catte" alludes to

William Catesby William Catesby (1450 – 25 August 1485) was one of Richard III of England's principal councillors. He also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Speaker of the House of Commons during Richard's reign. The son of Sir William Catesby o ...

; the "ratte" to Ratcliffe; and "Lovell" to Francis, Viscount Lovell, one of whose

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

family devices was a white wolf (the "dogge"). The "hogge" alludes to King Richard and his badge of a white boar.Fields, Bertram. ''Royal Blood: Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes.'' 2000 The poem was interpolated into Laurence Olivier's film '' Richard III'', a screen adaptation of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's play. Ratcliffe married Agnes Scrope, daughter of

Henry Scrope, 4th Baron Scrope of Bolton Henry Scrope, 4th Baron Scrope of Bolton (1418–1459) was a member of the English peerage in Yorkshire in the 15th century. Born 4 June 1418 to Richard Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Bolton and Margaret Neville, he was still a minor when his fa ...

, one of the great barons in the north of England. Ratcliffe was one of the two councillors (the other was William Catesby) who are reputed to have told the king that marrying

Elizabeth of York Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503) was Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503. Elizabeth married Henry after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which mark ...

would cause rebellions in the north.Weir ''The Princes in the Tower'' p. 211-212 Ratcliffe was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field, on 22 August 1485.

Shakespeare play

Ratcliffe appears in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play '' Richard III'' as a minor character who executes Rivers,

Grey Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

and Vaughn.Boyce ''Shakespeare A to Z'' p. 532 In the Andrew Wise 1597 (first) edition, Sir Richard's character appears first as ''Sir Richard Ratliffe'' (without the 'c') then as plain ''Ratcliffe'' (with the 'c', but no 'Sir' nor 'Richard') and finally as plain ''Ratliffe''.William Shakespeare, ''The Tragedy of King Richard the third'' (London: Andrew Wise, 1597)
– HTML version of the first edition. In the 1995 film version (starring Ian McKellen, and adapted to a 1930s setting), Ratcliffe is portrayed by Bill Paterson, and acts as (King) Richard's batman.

Citations

References

*Boyce, Charles ''Shakespeare A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Plays, His Poems, His Life and Times, and More'' New York: Laurel 1990 *Fields, Bertram ''Royal Blood: Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes'' New York:Regan Books 2000 *Ross, Charles ''Richard III'' Berkeley, California: University of California Press 1981 *Weir, Alison ''The Princes in the Tower'' New York: Ballantine 1992 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ratcliffe, Richard Year of birth missing 1485 deaths Garter Knights appointed by Richard III English military personnel killed in action High Sheriffs of Westmorland Male Shakespearean characters Knights banneret of England Shakespeare villains