Ralph de Trafford

  General Notes:

~The Visitation of the County Palatine of Lancaster, Made in the Year 1664-5, Part III, p. 315, Called Ranulphus, the Thane ⁸¹⁸

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ⁸⁰⁴
The old knightly family of Trafford, seated at Trafford, in the county Palatine of Lancaster, dated back to a period antecedent to the Norman conquest. Randolph de Trafford, who flourished after the Conquest, was the father of another Randolph.

~Burke's A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. IV pg. 247

• Background Information. ⁷²⁰
The pedigree of this ancient house begins with Ralph or Randulphus, who flourished in the time of Canute, the Dane, and who, according to popular tradition, was lord of Trafford at that time. Randulphus is said to have died about the year 1050, in the reign of Edward the Confessor, leaving a son, who bore the same name. Randulphus's heirs were a rare case of a Saxon family that were able to retain possession of the lands held by their ancestors rather than having them taken by a Norman invader.

~Families of Lancashire and Cheshire, pp. 166-167

• Pedigree. ¹³⁰⁷
According to the Trafford tradition is that the family were settled at Trafford as early as the reign of King Canute, A.D. 1017-1042. The first head of the family was called Radulphus, Ranulphus, or Randulphus (three Latin forms of the English name Ralph), who is said to have died in the reign of King Edward the Confessor (1042-1066), and he appears in the pedigree as the father of another Ralph who received the King's protection from Sir Hamo de Massey about the year 1080 ["Some Old Manchester Families: The Traffords of Trafford." Manchester Guardian, May 31, 1880].

One of the Harleian Manuscripts [No. 2077, folio 292] mentions the family arms thus:\emdash Trafford A(rgent), a Griffin Srgeant, G(ules), and continues with the following statement:\emdash

"Radulphus Trafford, D'nus de Trafford, before ye Conquest. Mencon is made in 2 deeds granted to his sonne Rafe, who was in age att ye Conquest (A.D. 1066); his sonne Robert, grandchild to Radulphus, then att man's estate, whereby it appearcs y' Radulphus (No. 2) was dead and florished in King Kanuty his tyme [a.d. 10171042], about ye yeare 1030, and died in St. Edward ye Confessor's tyme (1042-1066).
(c) hee was A Thane, next in degree of Nobility to an Alderman or Earle, and equall to our Lord Barons nowe, as it is Proued by Ancient Tradition. Hee had noe Surname, as most of ye Nobility had not in those tymes.
(d) note before ye Conquest the Gentry and Nobility were Called of theire place and habitacon; ye vulgar Sorte had noe Sirnames but called of their trades as brewer baker wright or of some defecte of body as wild lame &c.
(e) Rafe sonne of Rafe Liued when ye Conquerour Came in, his Sonne att mans Estate then ; they receaued ye King peace and protection from Sr Hamond Mascy Baronett of Dunham Mascy about ye yeare 1080.
(f) note y' there are Ancient deeds graunted to Rafe sonne of Rafe and Robert his son by Sr Hamond Mascy free pardon and protection, and alsoe ye Lands and bodie of one wulfernote (some rebell); the Stile is wthout Date and of ye Conqrs tyme.
(g) Robt Sonne of Rafe Sonne of Rafe de Trafford Liued in Wm Rufus tyme and the beginning of K.H : the first raigne about ye yeare 1120.
(h) Henery Sonne of Robt Sonne of Rafe de Trafford soe stiled in all deeds; he liued in K.H: I. tyme about 1130 and phaps died not before K. Stephens tyme, abt 1150."

~A History of the Ancient Chapel of Stretford in Mancester, pp. 101-102