Ravenshaw family

The Ravenshaw Family is an ancient and noble family that hails from England.

William Withers

The Ravenshaw Family is connected by blood to Sir William Withers, Lord Mayor of London from 1707 to1708. Born circa 1657, he was a descendant of Sir Thomas Wyther, who was knighted by King Edward III, circa 1330. Sir William's father was believed to be the first person to spell the name Withers. From October 20 1698 to his death, he was a member of the Honorary Company of Fishmorgers. He was the Sheriff of London from 1701 to 1702, and represented the city in the English Parliament from 1700 to 1701. Knighted by King William III on October 20 1699, he became Lord Mayor of London in 1707 until 1708, living at the Lord Mayor's Mansion in London, England. He married Margaret Hayes, of Chertsey Abbey, Surrey, England, the daughter of Thomas Hayes. They produced two children, William and Sarah. William married Rebecca Cache, and gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth. Elizabeth Withers married John Goldsborough Ravenshaw, and directly became connected to the prominent Ravenshaw family. William Withers died on January 31, 1721, and is buried at Fulham.

John Goldsborough Ravenshaw II

John Goldsborough Ravenshaw the Second was born in 1777, the son of John Goldsborough and Elizabeth Withers Ravenshaw. He was the grandson of William and Rebecca Withers, and Thomas and Sarah Barnes Ravenshaw. He was the great-grandson of William Withers. His parents, who married in January of 1772, had already given birth to two sons (Reverend Edward and Colonel Thomas William Ravenshaw) when John was born, and gave birth to two more sons after the birth of John (Captains George and William Ravenshaw). John Goldsborough Ravenshaw was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1801 he married Hannah Bond, a daughter of Commodore Charles John Bond, of the British East India Company's Bombay Marine. They gave birth to six sons; John Hurdis, Edward Cockburn, Henry Thomas, Holden Shepard, Charles Alexander, and Reverend Thomas FitzArthur Torrin Ravenshaw. They also had six daughters. The John Goldsborough Ravenshaws lived on Harley Street in London, England, where Ravenshaw became the chairman of the British East India Company.

Thomas Edward Ravenshaw

Thomas Edward Ravenshaw, grandson of John Goldsborough Ravenshaw II and great-great-great grandson ofWilliam Withers, was born on July 1, 1827, to John Hurdis Ravenshaw and his first wife, Rose Melley Thuillier. His father was in the British East India Company, and his mother was the daughter of John Thuillier, Baron de Malaparte. Thomas was the brother of Cornet Edward Cockburn, George Chandler, and John Henry Ravenshaw. When Thomas was 32, his mother died. His father married Harriet Lalande Biggs, daughter of Admiral Lewis James Biggs, in 1860. His father and stepmother had two children, Florence Lalande Ravenshaw Annesley, and Hurdis Secondus Lalande Ravenshaw. In 1850, Ravenshaw married Mary Susannah Symonds, daughter of Alexander Symonds. They had three sons; Charles Withers Ravenshaw, Herbert Edward Ravenshaw, and Harold Alexander Ravenshaw. Involved with the British East India Company, Thomas founded Ravenshaw College, located in Cuttack, Orissa, India, in 1878. Thomas Edward Ravenshaw died on February 4, 1914, at the age of 86. Ravenshaw College has been upgraded to Ravenshaw University.

Charles Withers Ravenshaw

unreferenced|date=August 2006Charles Withers Ravenshaw, great-grandson of John Goldsborough Ravenshaw II, and great-great-great-great grandson of William Withers, was born on September 29, 1851, the son of Thomas Edward and Mary Susannah Symonds. His father was the founder and namesake of Ravenshaw College. Charles was the brother of Lieutenant Herbert Edward Ravenshaw, and Major Harold Alexander Ravenshaw. Charles gained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Staff Corps, and held the title of Resident of Nepal from 1902 to 1905. On August 8, 1883, Charles married Hannah Barker, a daughter of Lord and Lady William Barker. They resided in Nethor Priors, Halstead, Essex, England. Charles and Hannah Ravenshaw gave birth to four daughters;

*Dorothy Rose Ravenshaw- married Halhed Brodrick Birdwood (brother of William Riddell Birdwood)
*Gladys Nina Ravenshaw- married Edward Theodore Chalmers Werner
*Enid Clare Ravenshaw- married George Bedforth
*Eileen Birkett Ravenshaw- married Dr. John Alexander McCreery

Charles Withers Ravenshaw died in 1935.