Sir Nicholas Radcliffe

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information: ⁷⁴⁵
The manor of Radeclive is recorded in Domesday as held by King Edward as part of the royal Manor of Salford. It lay in a bend of River Irwell, where the stream, turning aside from the high moorlands of its frolicsome youth, is reinforced by the waters of the Roche coming westward to the Pennine heights, and flows, broad and deep, the burden bearer of the valley lands, to the ultimate confluence with the Mersey. A cliff of red sandstone, around which the river swirls, jutting up above the green alluvial strath, gave the manor its name.

The entire lands between the Ribble and the Mersey were included in the bountiful grants bestowed on Count Roger de Poitou after the suppression of the Rising of Edgar the Aetheling in 1069. Roger, who maintained privileges of semi-regal state in the domains assigned to him, divided his lands amongst a select number of his own barons, who in turn partioned their holding amongst their knights to be held in vassalage by military service.

Amongst the kings of the Baron de Marsey, one of the Barones Comitatus of Count Roger was Nicholas Fitz-Gilbert de Tailbois, a younger son of the Baron of Kendal, to whom his lord gave the manor of Radeclive. Here the knight established his homestead, the high rock and wide river providing excellently for defense.

The Talbots can trace both name and descent from the Norman Conquest. Theirs was a person nicknamed, not derived as were most Norman surname from a place of their origin, and the name of Talbot were carried by many of William the Conqueror's followers who were not necessarily connected by blood. Nicholas de Tailbois was anxious to shed all record of his foreign ,origin by assuming the style and and title of an Englishman. He therefore adopted his surname from his manor, and was known as Sir Nicholas de Radeclive. Further to strenghthen his native status, he sought a wife from amongst his Saxon neighbors.

The Saxon thanes in the lands between Ribble and Mersey did not suffer much as a result of the Conquest, and for the most part retained their ancient possession. Not many miles from Radeclive, among the hills of Rossendale, one of these native proprietors held lordship over a district inhavited chiefly by herdsmen, shepherds and foresters, a pastoral people whose villages were known as Booths. Sir Nicholas married this Thane's daughter and heiress, and by marriage made him akin to his Saxon neigbors while increasing his landed possessions. From this marriage there were three sons, Matthew, Henry and Simon.

Matthew, who married and had a son, Richard, who gave lands to Vurcough Priory in 1124. Richard's son, William died without issue, whereupon his portion of the patrimony went to the heirs of Henry de Radclive.

Simon married and had a son, Alexander, whose son and heir, Adam, married Agnes, sister of Ughtred de Church.

~The Book of the Radclyffes, pages 3-4