Born in summer 1855 at St Dennis in Cornwall, Richard was one of six children of James RODLIFF, an innkeeper and clay labourer, and Eliza nee KENT.

His mother died in the first half of 1866 soon after the birth of her sixth child. His father had two more children by Elizabeth FARRO before marrying her in February 1871 and dying in March of the same year.

In 1871 Richard was boarding with Thomas and Fanny BENNETTO and their four daughters at Hendra Prazey. Thomas BENNETTO was a stonemason and Richard, who went on to become a stonemason, may well have been learning this trade whilst labouring for him. Four years later Richard married Annie BEST and they had four children: Mabel Best born 1876, Clifford John norn 1879, Violet Annie born 1889 and Gladys Vellry born 1894.

Richard was a stone mason in 1881 and still living at St Dennis although the rest of his family had moved to Suffolk, presumably chasing work (see brother Joseph). He had added grocer to his occupation by 1891.

In June 1890 Richard had to appear in court along with his father-in-law, John BEST, charged with assault:

ST. AUSTELL PETTY SESSIONS were held on Tuesday, before Sir Charles B. Graves Sawle and Messrs. R.G. Lakes and T.G. Moore. John Best and Richard Rodliffe, of St. Dennis, were charged with assaulting George Trethewey, a travelling auctioneer. Best was fined 10s. and costs, and the case against Rodliffe was dismissed. Complainant applied for the use of a shop for the sale and storage of his wares. Best, however, had let to Mr. Hook, of St. Columb. Eventually Mr. Hook, who made little use of the premises, let them to complainant, and defendant assented. Trethewey made a platform of planks and cement barrels outside the shop, where he displayed earthenware, &c., for sale. Best was so much annoyed at his selling goods similar to his own that on the 13th inst. he upset the platform, and committed the assault complained of. Rodliffe, Best's son-in-law, in his defence, said he only interfered to separate the disputants, but struck no blow; and the bench gave him the benefit of the doubt.
[Royal Cornwall Gazette, Thursday 26 June, 1890]

By 1891 Richard had added grocer to his occupations. Sadly in late April 1892 he was bankrupted. A report in the Cornishman Thursday 23 June 1892 gives nore detail:

"Mortgaged above the hilt. - At Truro Bankruptcy court, on Saturday, Richard Rodliffe, builder and shopkeeper of St Dennis, a bankrupt, in answer to the Official-receiver, said he had a meeting of his creditors on April 2nd, and a proposition was made of 5s in the £, to be paid at once by his brother-in-law. He borrowed £120 from Miss Whitefield. He had some property which was mortgaged to Miss Whitefield and the Bank. There was a charge of £300 on it; and the value of it was about £250. Examination closed."

By 1900 Richard had moved to Barry Dock, South Wales, presumably to join his brothers and stepmother, but that year was working on a construction project for Bristol Waterworks Company at Chew Stoke. He had an unfortunate misunderstanding about the ownership of some chisels as described in the following report from the Bath Chronicle & Weekly Gazette Thursday 13 September 1900:

"Temple Cloud. Police Court, Tuesday. - Before Messrs. C.A. Kemple and H.E. Hippisley. - Richard Rodliff, mason of Barry Dock, a middle-aged man, was charged on remand with stealing a number of mason's chisels, the properties of Pethwick Brothers, James Thorne, Harry Bailey, and Arthur Clements respectively. The prisoner was employed at Chew Stoke on some works for the Bristol Waterworks Company, which were being constructed by Messrs. Pethwick, and he left their employ on the 4th Sept. A number of tools had been missed, and Messrs. Pethwick's foreman visited prisoner's lodgings, and was there shown a basket which the prisoner had packed to take away with him, and in which were a number of chisels bearing prosecutors' stamp, as well as others belonging to the other persons named, who were fellow workmen of the prisoner. Constable Mapledoram subsequently arrested the prisoner, and took possession of his basket. In reply to the constable, the prisoner said he took the chisels, but as he had lost a lot on the works, he thought he could replace them. Prisoner now pleaded guilty to all the charges, and said that he brought 36 chisels on the works and had lost them, and taken these in place of them. Evidence was, however adduced that prisoner within the last month had sold 33 chisels. The chairman said although technically there were four charges against the prisoner, the Bench would treat them as practically one offence, and the fines together would amount to £2, or 16 days hard labour."

In 1901 Richard was recorded as a mason, one of three boarding with widow Mary EVANS and her six boys and two girls in the Llangeinor mining community while Annie lived in Barry with their three girls. Their son Clifford had left for Colorado several years earlier.

I have found no trace of Richard in 1911. Annie had returned to Cornwall by then and was living at 3 Marcus Hill, Newquay with daughter Vallery, a drapery apprentice, and boarder Bernard SPIELMAN, a traveller from Leeds. She died in 1913. Around this time daughter Mabel, who had married Robert VARCOE in 1902, emigrated to Canada.

In 1911 Violet was helping her sister Mabel and brother-in-law Robert VARCOE at the Rock Hotel, Roche. In February1913 she gave birth to daughter Althea. Six years later, on 4 Sep 1919, she left Liverpool for Montreal on SS Canada describing herself as a nurse and stating her future permanent residence as Canada. She visited brother Clifford in the USA in 1919, landing on December 4 at Buffalo NY. The record notes: last permanent residence Toronto, Ontario; occupation clerical; height 5' 5", medium complexion, brown hair, gray eyes; sister Gladys (Vallery) given as nearest relative. She crossed again a year later on 24 January 1920, this time seeking permanent residence in the USA and giving her final destination with her brother Clifford at 19 Goodrich Street, Akron Ohio.

Only (Gladys) Vallery stayed in the UK, marrying Claude CORAM in Devon in 1919. She went on to have seven children and died in Devon in 1943.