This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Wycliffe,' the parish so called in North Yorks, 'the white cliff.' Anyone who has seen it will readily see the origin of the name in the dull, whitey-grey cliff by which it stands.

John Whitclive, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Johanna de Wyclayf, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Willelmus Whyttloffe, 1379: ibid.

Johannes Wytloffe, 1379: ibid.

These will probably be immediate relatives of the Reformer.

Geoffrey Whiteclef, M.P. for Suthwerk, Close Roll, 4 Richard II.

1578. Baptised — Bridget, d. John Wicklif: St. Mary Aldermary.

(English) belonging to Wycliffe (N.Yorks), the Domesday Witclive; or Dweller at the White Cliff [Old English hwít + clif] John Wycliffe apparently owes his name to the Tees-side place; but there are naturally other small spots of the same name —e.g., the Whitclive of a 14th-cent. S0ms. roll seems to be the place referred to as ‘set hwítan Clife’ (dat. case) in a charter dated a.d. 962—‘Cart. Sax.’ no. 1094.

A parish in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Here John de Wycliffe, the reformer, was born in 1324.

John, or Musard, the great reformer, was born at Wycliffe, N.R. Yorkshire, which had belonged to his ancestors from soon after the Conquest. They were descended from a younger son of Enisand Musard of Bretagne (see Burton and Conyngham), who obtained from his father Clesebv, near Richmond, part of his demesne in 1086 (Domesd. i. 309b). Witcliflfe (Wycliffe), Torp, and Gerlington were granted to the family by Alan, Earl of Richmond, by the service of one knight. Hasculph de Cleseby was succeeded by his nephew Hasculph, t. Stephen (Mon. i. 838). Temp. Henry III. Hasculph de Cleseby held Wycliffe, Thorp, and Gerlington from the Honour of Richmond (Gale). In the following reign Cleseby, or Cleasby, passed to a younger branch, which assumed the name. Wycliffe, &c. passed to Robert de Wycliffe (Gale, Registr. Richm. 50), who witnessed a charter of the Earl of Richmond in 1278 (Mon. ii. 197). He was succeeded by his brother Alan de Momby, of M., Lincoln (where the Earls of Richmond had large possessions), where he resided. Roger de Wycliffe, his son, was living 1319, and was father of William Wycliffe, who m. a dau. of Sir Robert Bellasis (Whitaker, Richm. i. 200). John Wycliffe, the reformer, was a brother or first cousin of the latter, as the name of Wycliffe had not been borne in the family for more than two generations. The arms of the Musards of Stavely were two chevrons; those of the Constables of Richmond (descendants of Enisand Musard) a cross fleury. The ancient arms of the Wycliffes in W. Church combined these, being two chevrons between three crosses fleury. The family of Momby bore the cross fleury in a canton on a field fretty; that of Cleasby exchanged the two chevrons of Musard for two bends. See Richmond, Burton, Cleasby.