Hi I'm wondering if anyone can help me locate my great uncles burial place i have him down as william ratcliffe born about 1874/1875 (baptism is 1 Sep 1874) and his death as 1952 in don valley yorkshire west riding but when i search on the burial records i cant find anything. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you

Hi Kate,

I am presuming that your query regarding William Ratcliffe relates to the Sheffield area?

I have found a William Ratcliffe registered with the GRO Sep qtr 1874 Sheffield 9c 568. MMN of Webster. Is that your chap?

His baptism as you stated was 1874 where did that take place?

There is NO William Ratcliffe listed at the GRO in 1952.

Elaine in Ottawa.

could his name have been RADCLIFFE?





RATCLIFFE, WILLIAM 78
GRO Reference: 1952 S Quarter in DON VALLEY Volume 02B Page 352

The above is from the GRO index

It would be useful to establish some relationships to identify the appropriate William Ratcliffe out of several possibilities. The William Ratcliffe baptised 1 September 1874 at Christ Church Gleadless has parents George & Eliza of Hollins End.

FreeBMD.org.uk has this marriage possibility for William’s parents.
September quarter 1870
Ratcliffe George, Sheffield, Vol 9c, page 422. There is an Eliza Webster on the same page.
This ties in with the birth registration of September quarter 1874 identified by Elaine.

The burial records here have George Ratcliffe 1923, Eliza Ratcliffe 1947 and Lily Ratcliffe 1975 at Intake Cemetery.

There was a William Ratcliffe who died 1 August 1952 of 54 Mexborough-road Bolton-on-Dearne (probate index), but I think he is of a different family (his mother Abigail was of the same address according to a 1935 newspaper death notice, via Google).

If you have a copy of William’s birth registration with his birthdate, that might allow you to identify if he was in England or Wales in 1939.

Have we ruled out the death of a William Ratcliffe buried 17 Feb 1900 aged 25 and is buried at Christ Church GLEADLESS (the same church as his baptism)

John

Hi John,

Just went back to the GRO to check out your findings and yes he is there.

I tried three times before and not one single William came up.

I noticed before if I some times leave the first name out and it bring up the surname I can find people that way. The GRO obviously doesn't like the journey across the pond. LOL.

Elaine in Ottawa.

The William Ratcliffe baptised 1 Sept1874 lived at Hollinsend with parents George and Eliza.
The William Ratcliffe buried 1900 age 25 died at Hollinsend according to his burial record
1901 census has George and Eliza Ratcliffe living at Hollinsend
Dave

Hi Kate

Because Williams death was registered as Don Valley - there are 3 possible places he could have been buried, depending on where he lived/died.

He could have been buried in a municipal cemetery in the Sheffield, Rotherham or Doncaster areas.

He could also have been cremated in Sheffield .

You could contact Bereavement Services in Sheffield as a starting point to rule in/out a municipal cemetery burial/cremation.

Bereavement services
email:bereavement.services@sheffield.gov.uk
phone: 0114 2396068

Denise

Hi I've only just seen all the replies William Ratcliffe would be my great uncle and was George and Eliza Ratcliffe son. He was born in Hollinsend in 1874/75 and died in Sep 1952 Don Valley. I've only just started this back up because of my dad's death last year and i wish i asked the questions when he was alive

So the death in 1952 in Don Valley then is definitely your man?

Do you know if he served in the army at all?

John

Not to my knowledge he didnt

From an image of the burial register 1900 for Gleadless:
Name William Ratcliffe
Abode: Hollins End
When buried: Feby 7th
Age: 25 years
No other useful information.
The death registration available from the GRO for a modest fee should include his father’s name.

Who did william marry and when? If he did marry if we could then find that marriage it will give us his father's name.

What was your father's name and when was he born and how was William related to him?
Us Indexers will hopefully solve this. Which info are you definitely 100% sure about, his death at Don Valley or his baptism?

John

There is a newspaper obituary in 1952 for William Ratcliffe of 54 Mexborough road.
The service was at his home followed by interment at Bolton (upon Dearne) cemetery. There is quite a lot of detail about his life and the list of mourners is informative including his son Ernest and some Clancy family members
The cemetery is managed by Barnsley Council so you should contact them if you wish to find the grave
It is very clear that he was the son of John Ratcliffe and his wife Abigail nee Clancy who married in 1873. William was birth registered in Doncaster q4 1873 as William RATCLIFF with mmn CLANCEY from GROIndex.

It is also very clear that he was NOT the son of George and Eliza Ratcliffe born 1874 in Hollinsend. That William Ratcliffe died in 1900, apparently without issue.
Dave

Edit not working:
The obituary is in South Yorkshire Times and Express, August 9th 1952
Dave

well found Dave, no wonder confusion over the surname if indexed wrongly and hence why she thought he was born in Sheffield.

John

Oops I made a big mistake confusing Williams mother maiden name with his wife maiden name
Fact : his mother Abigail was nee Howlett so he was birth registered Doncaster Q4 1873 as William RATCLIFF mmn Howlett
It was his wife whose maiden name was Clanc(e)y.
Sorry about that
Dave

Don Valley registration district was in the Doncaster area, now in Doncaster registration district, apart from Dearne parish in Barnsley. See:

https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/don%20valley.html

Sally


(There is an error in that page, gives Bradford instead of Barnsley. I will email Brett Langstone about it - he usually amends things promptly.)

Sally,
in the South Yorkshire Times of 2nd April 1949 there is an obituary for RATCLIFFE. It was Mrs Sarah J Ratcliffe of 54 Mexborough Road Bolton upon Dearne. It clearly states that she died at the Montagu hospital which is in Mexborough (in the Don Valley registration district at the time). Note that her Death Registration was Don Valley.
The obituary for her husband (1952) does not state where he died. To find that requires purchase of the death cert. Perhaps he also died in the Montagu hospital. It is less than 2 miles from Mexborough road in Bolton.

Kate, I need to correct yet another of my mistakes in my earlier message about William Radcliffe. He married Sarah Jane CHANTRY (Worksop 1898).
I mistakenly said Clancy.
It comes with age I am afraid.

"my earlier message about William Radcliffe. He married Sarah Jane CHANTRY (Worksop 1898)."

The William Ratcliffe & Sarah Jane Chantry marriage was at Harworth. William Ratcliffe’s father was John Ratcliffe.

Dave T, I was trying to caution that Denise had cast the net rather widely (Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster). He could of course, have been buried anywhere, or there are two other crematoria in that area. As it turned out he was BURIED in the one civil parish which was later transferred from Don Valley to Barnsley, so the registers may be with Barnsley council.

Sally