The New Murrey and Blue blog

Radcliffe Tower still survives, but only in part. The remnant is but a ruined stone tower, to which was once attached a substantial great hall and other apartments.

The Tower was the home of the principal line of the Radcliffe family (Radcliffe of The Tower). There were several cadet branches and, needless to say, the family intermarried with most of the gentry families of Lancashire and Cheshire.

In old records, the name is often spelt as ‘Ratcliffe’. The town is nowadays spelt ‘Radcliffe’ but it is common to come across locals who pronounce it as ‘Ratcliffe’. So either version is ‘correct’.

Sir Richard Radcliffe, the associate of Richard III, was of a cadet branch. To be precise, his grandfather was a younger son of the Tower family who married an heiress, thus creating the cadet branch Radcliffe of Derwentwater.

Another cadet branch was the Radcliffes of Ordsall Hall. Their home is still intact and can be visited, although it is in a rather unlikely area of urban Salford. As may be seen from this article several of the Radcliffes of Ordsall had interesting careers.

Yet another branch established itself in Attleborough, Norfolk. John Radcliffe of this line married the Fitzwalter heiress. He was killed at the Battle of Ferrybridge (1461) but his son became Lord Fitzwalter. A later Robert Radcliffe was made Earl of Sussex in 1529. This advancement was the more remarkable as his father had been attainted and executed for his support of ‘Perkin Warbeck’.

This branch of the family inherited Radcliffe Tower but had no use for it. It was sold on, became a farm, and – bar for the surviving remnant, went the way of all flesh.