As a child I was brought up in the belief that my great grandfather John and his unnamed brother came to Wrawby from bonnie Scotland. It is even said by those who remember her that John's wife herself was a Scot, notwithstanding her name being Mumby, the same name as a family living in Wrawby at that time who were reputed to be wealthy landowners, surely this has to be more than simple coincidence, especially as it has transpired that Thomas Mumby was, in fact, a husbandman as opposed to a landowner.
In dipping my toe into the consanguine water I am immediately rewarded with a plethora of stories and information. Some of which is undoubtedly fact and some which is no doubt based on fact but, like the illusive Scottish legend, has become shrouded in mystery and mixed with good old fashioned mythology. Whatever the factual content it is all quite fascinating and adds to the huge jigsaw which I am trying to piece together.
So, the story so far indicates that Britcliffe's were around the Lindsey district of Lincolnshire as long ago as 1753 and proliferated into Wrawby, Scunthorpe and Waddingham. From those living around Healing in the mid eighteenth century all we yellow-belly's no doubt descended but from whence they came is still a mystery. Or is it ?
The trail now takes us via a Suffolk pig farmer to Accrington, Lancashire, and on to Clitheroe where a correspondent assures me that the name originally comes from BRIERCLIFFE near Burnley. This particular part of the story says that records exist (I have now found them in the shape of "The Briercliffe's of Briercliffe") of Robert of Briercliffe, Robert of Hollingreave (Burnley) and Lawrence of Burwains (home of the Briercliffe's) possibly as long ago as the thirteenth century.
That the Britcliffe family is strongly represented in Lancashire there can be no doubt. It is said that the family played an important part in Accrington's history in the eighteenth century, somewhat akin to the Pease's of Darlington, though I believe that the Britcliffe's involvement in railways began more in the time of the M. S. & L. than the S & D (notwithstanding my paternal grandmothers father) and we have never (unless anyone knows differently) had a pudding named after us !
The large number of my namesakes living in the North West of England must be significant. That such a relatively huge pocket of people with a common name can live within a few square miles of each other but virtually nowhere else in the country cannot be passed off as pure chance. No one to whom I have spoken outside of my immediate family has even heard of the Scottish connexion, not even those who are definitely descended from good Wrawby stock and thus must be related to me. I feel sure that there is a Lancastrian connexion somewhere waiting to be found, and once that connexion has been made the rest could well be fairly plain sailing thanks to the Accrington Observer who ran a series of articles about the family in 1928 which trace the name back as far as the thirteenth century.
Since reading Richard Ainsworth's articles in the Accrington Observer I have discovered "The Briercliffe's of Briercliffe" by R. D. and T. H. Briercliffe and Ernest Axon which was published in 1917. This document traces the Briercliffe's back as far as about 1170 to one Robert of Briercliffe about whom nothing is known save that he had lands in Briercliffe which were believed to have been bestowed on him by Robert de Lacy (whose descendants became Earl of Lincoln) who died in about 1193. This work traces the name to about the start of the twentieth century and gives the first known use of the name Britcliffe by John Britcliffe who was baptised at Burnley 4th. July 1733.
So how did the family become established in Wrawby? It is clear that my grandfather John Henry and his father John were both born in Wrawby, though John's father Thomas was baptised in North Kelsey on 15 September 1822. North Kelsey lies some six or eight miles to the south of Wrawby. It is certain that Thomas and his wife Jane Johnson were married in Waddingham in 1848 where Jane was living at that time whilst Thomas lived at nearby Grayingham. The 1861 census indicates, however, that they were living in Wrawby by that time and that their oldest son George was aged 11 and born in Wrawby.
There were two other Britcliffe's known to be around at this time, though at the time of writing the precise relationships can only be guessed at. These others were William, who was baptised in South Kelsey in 1839; and John, who married Sarah Lancaster possibly in 1849. They all had parents called John and Sarah and I believe that they were the same John and Sarah, I am unable to connect Robert Britcliffe of Ulceby into the family tree at this stage. I opine, however, that Thomas, William and John were, ipso facto, brothers and that they were descended from Thomas Britcliffe who was baptised in Healing on 28 February 1762, he being the son of Stephen and Mary Britcliffe. Stephen was a contemporary of John of Burnley who I have earlier credited with the first known use of the name in its present form, and the only Stephen of this time which I have found to date was baptised at Burnley on 26 January 1735, his parents are given as John Briercliffe and Anne Baron.
It is common belief that until fairly recent times people did not move around a great deal, but that they lived all of their lives in the same village as they were born. It would appear though that until the beginning of the twentieth century the Britcliffe's and the families into which they were married were, almost without exception, farm labourers who were generally an itinerant breed.
Given the presence of Thomas and John (both of whom later lived in Wrawby) in the Kirton in Lindsey area it is my belief that the two brothers of the original story did not actually come from Scotland, but that they actually came from Scotter, Scotton or Scothern in Lincolnshire. If my suppositions are correct then the big mystery is why and how did Stephen find himself in Healing prior to 1762?
Further research with the I.G.I. has revealed that a John Britliffe was baptised at Bonby on 28 May 1800. He was the son of Mary Britliffe and John Corney. Was this John Britcliffe the father of Thomas?
Much has been said within the family of the Britliffe's (and similar spellings all of which omit the 'c'). They are known to have lived in Wheatley and its environs and my own father went to school with some Britliffe's. It is said that they claim to be related to us but that the Britcliffe's have ardently denied it. I believe, however, that given the proportion of illiterate, not to mention itinerant, farm yackers in the Lincolnshire family in the past and the preponderance of Britcliffe's today who appear either unable or disinclined to pronounce their own name with a 'c' in it that the Britcliffe's, Britliffe's and other manifold spellings are all one and the same family but proof, of course, is quite another story. I find it interesting to note that only in Lincolnshire do the variations of Britcliffe appear and that everywhere else the name is consistently spelt as we spell it today.
Thomas died in 1870 and his death certificate shows cause of death as being "consumption not certified" with the informant being Sarah Britliff of Wrawby described as being "present at the death". It is not known at this stage quite who this Sarah was, though it is not beyond the realms of possibility that it may have been Thomas' mother.
The practice of births being registered by the mothers is, apparently, atypical of what generally happened but is probably due to the fact that the men were farm labourers and didn't have the time to register the birth. Let us not forget that registering a birth would entail a walk to Brigg and back; what would she have done with the children whilst she was away?
I have recently been in correspondence with Jill Britcliffe who lives in the States. Having seen a letter which she wrote to the Accrington Observer in 1986 I deduced that she was trying to trace the origins of the American branch of the family. She has kindly sent me a brief reply with the promise of a more detailed response in due course. I have also been in contact with Peter Britcliffe who lives in Hartlepool. He comes from a branch of the family of which I was previously unaware and hails from Cheshire. Given Cheshire's proximity to Lancashire I would assume that it is an offshoot from the family of that county though I need to carry out further research to identify the exact connection.
Having today visited the new library at Sunderland where I consulted Burke's General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and Fairbairn's book of Crests of the Families of Great Britain I am reasonably confident that neither the Briercliffe's nor the Britcliffe's had any right to bear arms. Thus the origin of the coats of arms at Burwain's referred to in Richard Ainsworth's articles of 1928 can only (at this stage) be guessed at. Were these arms those of the original builder of Burwains, possibly Robert de Lacy, or are they the arms of the man for whom the Briercliffe's fought during the anarchy between King Stephen and Empress Maud or some other such struggle?
I have, however, received from Jill Kobeissi in the States a crest which may well be those referred to as being at Burwains though unfortunately Jill has offered no explanation as to their origins. It is my intention to contact the College of Arms to see if they can shed any light upon the origins of the crests.
The first known record of the Britcliffe's living in Wrawby is the baptism of George Britcliffe on 29th. July 1849. George was the eldest child of Thomas Britcliffe and his wife Jane (née Johnson) who were married at Waddingham on 29th. January 1848. Thomas and Jane lived in Wrawby from sometime between their marriage and George's birth, until Thomas' death at the age of 47 years on 1st. July 1870. Jane remarried to a Thomas Rose who was a platelayer on the M. S. & L. Rwy. Coy. Ltd. and they continued to live in Wrawby until their deaths.
Issue:-
Though the only evidence to support the additional christian name James is the parish register entry of the baptism which took place at St. Mary's church on 6th. May 1855. John married Harriet Mumby of Wrawby at the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Bridge Street, Brigg (later Northern Upholstery) on 13th. June 1883. John died on 23rd. April 1937 and is buried in Brigg cemetery alongside other members of the family.
Issue:-
Born in Wrawby on 16th. March 1865 but moved to Shireoaks to work as a railway signalman prior to his marriage to Ruth Bull in that town on 27th. April 1896. This is the only branch of the family besides my own which has been clearly traced from the “original” Wrawby family to the present day.
Issue:-
Charles Herbert q.v.
John was the last member of my branch of the family to have been born in Wrawby. After following the family tradition of working as a farm labourer, he joined the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment early in World War I and later transferred to 103 (The Black Swan) Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. John, or Pop as he was known, saw action, amongst other places, on the Somme during the notorious battle of 1916. John married Annie Elizabeth Stephenson in 1919 and settled in Barnetby where he worked as a mechanical linesman for the M. S. & L. Rwy. Coy. Ltd. and later the G.C.R. Coincidentally John's sister Jane married Annie's brother George.
Issue:-
Charles Herbert was the only child of Charles William and Ruth (née Bull) and he was born at Shireoaks on 12th. June 1897. He moved to Mansfield when his father left the railway after witnessing the horrific death of a child at Shireoaks station and went to work in the newly opened mines near Mansfield. Charles Herbert married Marjorie Brownson in Mansfield on 5th. November 1930 and worked as an industrial safety officer.
Issue:- Jane b. 12th March 1939
The IGI makes reference to a Sisliam Briercliffe marrying Thomas Bothbie in Wrawby on 5 November 1599. This appears at the time of writing to be an isolated reference to the family in the county as the next one which I have found is the reference to Stephen and Mary in 1762.
This page designed, constructed and maintained by 