Ralph (or Ranulph) Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre (ca. 1290 – April 1339) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

peer. The Dacres were a family pre-eminent in Cumberland where they were famous for their exploits in checking or avenging the depredations of the Scots. The family was among the oldest and most powerful on the northern border together with the families of Neville and Percy, to whom they were related. Dacre was the son of Sir William Dacre of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

(son of Ralph de Dacre and Joane

de Lucy de Lucy or de Luci (alternate spellings: Lucey, Lucie, Luce, Luci) is the surname of an old Norman noble family originating from Lucé in Normandy, one of the great baronial Anglo-Norman families which became rooted in England after the Norma ...

) and Joane Gernet. His great-grandfather, William de Dacre of Dacre (died c.1258), had been a Sheriff of Cumberland and then

Sheriff of Yorkshire The High Sheriff, 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 transferr ...

, as well as holding the office of Governor of Carlisle. He had five siblings: * Margaret Joan Harington (married into Harington family * Thomas Dacre * Elizabeth Dacre * Joan Tunstall (married Henry de Tunstall) * Mary Dacre In 1335, a licence to crenellate his home,

Naworth Castle Naworth Castle, also known or recorded in historical documents as "Naward", is a castle in Cumbria, England, near the town of Brampton, Carlisle, Brampton. It is adjacent to the A69 road (England), A69 road from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle, ...

, was granted to Ralph during the reign of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. In 1321 he was summoned to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

as Lord Dacre. In 1331 he was appointed

High Sheriff of Cumberland 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 ...

and Governor of Carlisle. He married Margaret de Multon, Baroness Multon of Gilsland. Dacre carried off his bride-to-be, a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

, from

Warwick Castle Warwick Castle is a medieval castle developed from a wooden fort, originally built by William I of England, William the Conqueror during 1068. Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England, situated on a meander of the River Avon, Warwic ...

where she was in the care of Thomas de Beauchamp; the official record states:

Ranulph de Dacre pardoned for stealing away in the night, out of the King's custodie, from his Castell of Warwick, of Margaret, daughter and heir of Thomas Multon of Gillsland, who held of the King ''in
capite In old English law, a capite (from Latin ''caput'', head) was a tenure in subinfeudation, by which either person or land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocea ...
'' and was within age, whereof the said Ranulph standeth indighted ''in curia Regis''.

He commanded the English in the

Battle of Dornock The Battle of Dornock was fought on 25 March 1333 during the Second War of Scottish Independence. Background In 1333 Edward Balliol, a pretender to the throne, claimant to the Scottish throne, sought support from the English King Edward III ...

. On the 25th March 1333, a Scottish force intercepted the English at the village of Dornock,

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the hi ...

. Little is known about the battle itself, as it was reportedly over very quickly with the Scots fleeing the scene. Lord Dacre died in April 1339 and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son,

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

. His third and fourth sons Ralph and

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

also succeeded in turn. Another son, Thomas, died without issue and did not succeed to the barony.Baines, Edwar
"The History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster, Vol. 5"
pg. 3

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dacre, Ralph Dacre, 1st Baron 1290s births Year of birth uncertain 1339 deaths High sheriffs of Cumberland

Ralph Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre Ralph (or Ranulph) Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre (ca. 1290 – April 1339) was an England, English Peerage, peer. The Dacres were a family pre-eminent in Cumberland where they were famous for their exploits in checking or avenging the depredations of t ...