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

Richard III of England Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Bosw ...

Life

Ratcliffe came from a

gentry Gentry (from Old French , from ) are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. ''Gentry'', in its widest connotation, refers to people of good social position connected to Landed property, landed es ...

family in the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...

, and became a companion of Richard when the latter was still

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester ( ) is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...

(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, England. The town is named after and built around a medieval castle ruin. The town's Bowes Museum has an 18th-century Silver Swan automaton exhibit ...

. Richard, while Duke of Gloucester,

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a 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. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed Ratcliffe during the Scottish campaigns, at the same time creating him a

knight banneret A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner (which was square-shaped, in contrast to the tapering standard or the pennon flown by the lower- ...

.Ross, Charles. ''Richard III''. 1981 During the ascension to 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, 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. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

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

rebellion of 1483 Buckingham's rebellion was a failed but significant uprising, or collection of uprisings, of October 1483 in England and parts of Wales against Richard III of England. To the extent that these local risings had a central coordination, the pl ...

he was given a very large number of forfeited estates. As a result, he had an income larger than most

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

s. In July 1484, William Collingbourne, a Tudor agent, nailed a lampooning poem to

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, London, which obliquely identifies Ratcliffe as one of the three aides to King Richard: The "catte" alludes to William Catesby; 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 branc ...

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 Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

's film ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'', a screen adaptation of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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, 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 List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII of England, Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503. She was the daughter of King E ...

would cause rebellions in the north.Weir ''The Princes in the Tower'' p. 211-212 Ratcliffe was killed at the

Battle of Bosworth Field The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field ( ) was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of House of Lancaster, Lancaster and House of York, York that extended across England in the latter half ...

, on 22 August 1485.

Shakespeare play

Ratcliffe appears in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 ''

'' as a minor character who executes

Rivers A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...

Grey Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

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 Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cu ...

, 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