John Ratcliffe

Who was John Ratcliffe?

John Ratcliffe was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1646 and 1673.

Ratcliffe was the of John Ratcliffe, brewer and alderman of Chester and his second wife Jane Brerewood, daughter of John Brerewood of Chester. He was educated at Queen's College, Oxford in 1628. In 1629, he entered Middle Temple. He succeeded his father in 1633 and was called to the bar in 1637.

In 1646, Ratcliffe was chosen recorder of Chester in 1646 and at about the same time was elected Member of Parliament for City of Chester in the Long Parliament to replace one of the disabled MPs. He was later removed from his position as recorder because he refused the negative oath and was replaced in 1651 by Richard Haworth, a lawyer of Manchester. Haworth was unwilling to make Chester his permanent residence and he surrendered the office to Ratcliffe in 1656. In the 1659, Chester became involved in the Cheshire rising led by Sir George Booth. Ratcliffe was one of the members of the corporation opposed to the regime which colluded with Booth although he was not penalised after the surrender of the city to John Lambert.