Sir Ralph Bourchier (c. 1531–11 June 1598) was an English landowner, administrator and politician. He was the son of James Bourchier of Haughton and Mary, heiress of her brother John Bannister. His grandfather was

John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners (1467 – 19 March 1533) was an English soldier, statesman and translator. Family John Bourchier, born about 1467, was the only son of Sir Humphrey Bourchier (d.1471 at the Battle of Barnet) and Elizabeth Ti ...

. In 1556 he inherited estates in Yorkshire from his uncle, John Bannister, on which he built Beningbrough Hall (since rebuilt in 1716). He was appointed keeper of

Rochester Castle Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway in Rochester, Kent, South East England. The 12th-century keep or stone tower, which is the castle's most prominent feature, is one of the best preserved in England or France. Situat ...

in 1559. He was elected to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

in 1571 and 1572 as MP for

Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme ( RP: , ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. The 2011 census population of the town was 75,082, whilst the wider borough had a population of 1 ...

. He was subsequently returned for

Newport, Isle of Wight Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island county off the south coast of England. The town is slightly north of the centre of the island, and is in the civil parish of Newport and Carisbrooke. It has a quay at the head of the ...

in 1584, and Scarborough in 1586, and as

knight of the shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistributio ...

for

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. He served as

sheriff of Yorkshire The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...

in 1580 and was knighted in 1584. He died in 1598 and was buried in Barking, Essex. He had married three times: first Elizabeth, the daughter of Francis Hall of

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln a ...

, Lincolnshire, with whom he had two sons and four daughters; second Christian, the daughter of Rowland Shakerley of London and widow of John Harding of London; and third Anne Coote, a widow. His estate went to his grandson Robert, as his son William was declared insane. Robert died childless at 18 and the estate then passed to Robert's brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, who subscribed as an adventurer for Virginia in 1620 and was one of the signatories to King Charles' death warrant in 1649.

References

History of Parliament - BOURCHIER, Ralph (c.1531-98), of Haughton, Staffs. and Beningbrough, Yorks.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourchier, Ralph Year of birth uncertain 1530s births 1598 deaths People from Yorkshire High Sheriffs of Yorkshire Members of the Parliament of England for Newcastle-under-Lyme English MPs 1571 English MPs 1572–1583 English MPs 1584–1585 English MPs 1586–1587 English MPs 1589