Ratcliffe Gerard (c.1584 – in or before 1670) of

Halsall Halsall is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England, located close to Ormskirk on the A5147 and Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Description Historically known as Heleshala, Herleshala, (Domesday Book); Haleshal, 1224; Haleshale, 12 ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

was an English landowner who served in the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

army during the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...

Biography

Ratcliffe and Gilbert were twin sons of Ratcliffe Gerard, and Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Sir Charles Somerset. Gerard and his two sons, Gilbert and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, joined the Royalist army. Ratcliffe was a lieutenant-colonel in twin brother's regiment. He was in

Raglan Castle Raglan Castle () is a Late Middle Ages, late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan, Monmouthshire, Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales. The modern castle dates from between the 15th and early 17th cent ...

at its surrender in 1646, and was one of the few English Royalists to take up arms for Charles II in 1651 and was captured at the

Battle of Wigan Lane The Battle of Wigan Lane was fought on 25 August 1651 during the Third English Civil War, between a Royalist army led by the Earl of Derby and forces loyal to the Commonwealth of England under Colonel Robert Lilburne. The Royalists were def ...

. In 1658 he was known to be a non-Catholic Royalist activist in Lancashire.

Family

Gerard married Jennet Barret, daughter of Edward Barret, of Pembrokeshire. They had several children including: * Gilbert (died 1687) who was created Baronet of Fiskerton *

(1632–1654), who was executed for his part in Gerard's conspiracy * Charles (born 1635)

Notes

References

* * * Cavaliers Year of birth uncertain Royalist military personnel of the English Civil War {{England-mil-bio-stub