# Ralph Creffeild

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{{distinguish|text=[Ralph Creffeild (born 1687)](/source/Ralph_Creffeild_(born_1687)), his son}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

'''Sir Ralph Creffeild''' (often incorrectly '''Creffield'''; [Colchester](/source/Colchester), Essex, England, 1653 - Colchester, 22 June 1732) was an alderman and three times [Mayor of Colchester](/source/Mayor_of_Colchester).<ref name="Benham"/> A significant landowner, he controlled extensive estates in and around the town.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=The Essex Review|title=On Google books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gA4cAQAAIAAJ|accessdate=30 January 2010|year=1943|volume=52|publisher=E. Durant|page=164}}</ref> He came from a family of wealthy [wool](/source/wool) merchants, originally from [Flanders](/source/Flanders), but at [Chappel](/source/Chappel) by 1348. His father, also Ralph, was himself mayor on four occasions.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Hollytrees (and Charles Gray)|author=Colchester Corporation|publisher=Museum and Muniment Committee|year=1967}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Baggs |display-authors=etal |first1=A P |title=Bailiffs and mayors Pages 374-381  A History of the County of Essex: Volume 9, the Borough of Colchester. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol9/pp374-381 |website=British History Online |publisher=Victoria County History, 1994 |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref>

Born in 1653, he ran the family business in the High Street of Colchester, but moved to Ardleigh, where he remained for fifty years.<ref name="Round"/> Creffeild was knighted by [Queen Anne](/source/Anne%2C_Queen_of_Great_Britain) in 1713, having presented her with an address of thanks from the town's [Corporation](/source/Municipal_corporation) on the conclusion of the [peace of Utrecht](/source/peace_of_Utrecht) earlier that year.<ref name="Benham"/><ref name="Round"/>

In 1684 he married Rachel, daughter of [George Tayspill](/source/George_Tayspill);<ref name="genealogy">{{Cite web|url=http://www.the-eastern-window.com/genealogy/ralph-creffield.html|title=Parenteel van Ralph Creffield|author=J.V. v.d. Wal|year=2007|accessdate=30 January 2010}}</ref> Rachel is now best remembered in Colchester for making a bequest to the poor of Trinity Parish.<ref name="Benham">{{Cite book|title=Colchester Worthies|first=Charles|last=Benham|authorlink=Charles Benham| url=https://archive.org/details/colchesterworthi00benh|publisher=Benham|location=Colchester|year=c. 1900|accessdate=30 January 2010}}</ref> Though they had five children,<ref name="genealogy"/> only one survived to bear children:<ref>{{cite book|author=Edward Lewes Cutts|title=Colchester|url=https://archive.org/details/colchester01cuttgoog|accessdate=30 January 2010|year=1889|publisher=Longmans and Green|page=[https://archive.org/details/colchester01cuttgoog/page/n237 211]}}</ref> his second son, another [Ralph Creffeild](/source/Ralph_Creffeild_(born_1687)), born in 1687.<ref name="Round"/> Ralph predeceased his father, dying in 1723;<ref name="Benham"/>  consequently the estate jumped him and proceeded to his son Peter Creffield.

Creffeild himself died on 22 June 1732, aged 79. He was buried in St. Nicholas Church.<ref name="Benham"/> His estate was described in the ''[Ipswich Gazette](/source/Ipswich_Gazette)'' for 5 July 1735, as "a very good house with coach-houses, stables, granaries, yards, gardens, rishponds and about 40 [acre](/source/acre)s of [arable land](/source/arable_land)."<ref name="Round">{{Cite book|title=Round of Birch Hall|first=T. B.|last=Millatt|year=1984|page=8}}</ref> In addition to his houses in Colchester and Ardleigh, he held [East Mersea Hall](/source/East_Mersea_Hall), eleven [messuage](/source/messuage)s, three gardens, three cottages and over {{convert|1200|acre|km2}} of land, incorporating Ardleigh, [East Mersea](/source/East_Mersea), [Elmstead](/source/Elmstead%2C_Essex), [Frating](/source/Frating), Great and Little Birch, [Layer de la Haye](/source/Layer_de_la_Haye), [Layer Breton](/source/Layer_Breton) and [Feering](/source/Feering).<ref name="Round"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Creffeild, Ralph}}
Category:1653 births
Category:1732 deaths
Category:Mayors of Colchester

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ralph Creffeild](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Creffeild) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Creffeild?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.