Our distinguished Risley Family Association Historian, Ron Risley, has served since 1982. He has tracked down Risleys (et al) across America, the British Isles, and even Australia. Here is his history of the source of our Risley name.

There were two landed gentry Risley families in England in the 13th century. One was a Norman line in the Visitations of the Herald in Chetwode, Buckinghamshire that used the spelling Riseley. This is not to be confused with the American Riseley family who migrated to Rheinbeck, NY about 1700 from Germany. The other Risley was a Celtic family in the Visitations of the Herald in Winwick, Lancashire who used the more common spelling of Risley.

Gilbert de Culcheth and Lady Cecilia de Lathom lived in Lancashire and had a considerable amount of land. When Sir Gilbert was murdered by unknown malefactors in 1246, his four daughters became the ward of Sir William le Boteler, the local Baron of Warrington. Sir Gilbert’s land passed to the four daughters. Sir Hugh de Hindley had four sons and arranged with Sir William to have the four daughters marry his four sons. As a result, Sir Gilbert’s land was divided four ways and became a dowry for each of his daughters.

Ellen de Culcheth, daughter of Sir Gilbert and Lady Cecilia, received as her dowry the land and manor of Risley in Winwick upon marrying Robert de Hindley. Thereafter, they used the name de Risley which was the earliest beginning of our name as Risley. The name was a description of Risley manor and lands as a meadow surrounded by brushwood (hris = brushwood & leah = a clearing). We still have much to learn about our Risley generations in England and the parentage of our immigrant, Richard Risley.

It is commonly believed that Richard Risley came to Boston, Massachusetts, with Rev. Thomas Hooker in 1633 on the ship “Griffin.” However, in all of Ron’s research he could find no documented proof to support this claim beyond that Richard was in Hartford with the Hooker party. While true, there were others in Hartford that did not come over on the Griffin with Rev. Hooker. Ron did find a passenger list for the Planter of London that arrived in Boston on April 6, 1635. Among its passengers was a Martin Saunders, age 40, a currier, from Sudbury, Suffolk, England, with his wife and three children. Also, in his entourage were servants 17 year old Marie Fuller, 16 year old Richard Ridley, and 15 year old Richard Smith. It is conceivable that the name Risley was misspelled as Ridley. The Planter of London arrived at Braintree, Massachusetts where Martin Saunders would succeed Jeremy Adams as the Tavern Keeper when Adams left to join the Hooker Party in Newtowne (now Cambridge). Later records give a full account of the Saunders family, but nothing more is known of Marie Fuller, Richard Ridley, or Richard Smith. Ron believes they went on with Jeremy Adams to Hartford and somewhere along the way Richard Risley married Marie (or Mary) Fuller. It is possible, but this account also has no documented proof. So we will keep looking.

Richard Risley, with the Hooker Company, was one of the original founders of the Commonwealth of Connecticut. On January 14, 1638, Richard participated in the adoption of the “Fundamental Orders,” the first written Constitution to govern the affairs of an American colony and source for the American Constitution.

Richard Risley originally had a large home lot on the Southwest of the Hartford settlement on the grounds of the present Connecticut State Capitol Building and was said to be the Hay Warden responsible for collecting the winter forage for the livestock. He was a relatively young man when he died In Hockanum, a part of East Hartford, of typhoid fever in October 1648 while his wife was pregnant with Richard Jr.

Richard Risley was married about 1640 to Mary. They had three children: Sarah, Samuel, and Richard Jr. Mary later married William Hills who raised the Risley children after Richard’s death.