Riddley Surname History

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the bearers of the Riddley family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in the region of Ridley in the counties of Northumberland, Cheshire and Kent. Riddley is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Riddley family

The surname Riddley was first found in Northumberland where one of the first records of the name was Nicolas de Ridley who executed a charter in 1250. Later, Nicolas de Redley or Ridley lived in 1306 at Ridley in this county. Another early record reveals Odard Ridley as Coroner of Tyndale in 1278. His grandfather was probably brother of John Fitz-Odard, Baron of Emildon (living 1161-1182) and son of Odard, Viscount of Northumberland.

The township of Melkridge was an early home to the family. "It belonged at an early period to the Ridleys, of whom Sir Nicholas Ridley was proprietor in the 16th century; the chief estate afterwards came to the Nevilles, of Chevet, and from them passed to the Blacketts, the present owners. " 1

Wall-Town again in Northumberland was home to another branch of the family since early times. "In Henry VIII.'s time Wall-Town was the property of the Ridleys, who continued here till the reign of Charles I., if not later. The tower of Wall-Town, which was a castellated building, is described, in 1542, as the inheritance of John Ridley." 1

Early History of the Riddley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Riddley research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1547, 1550, 1555, 1560, 1576, 1624, 1629, 1653, 1691, 1692 and 1708 are included under the topic Early Riddley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Riddley Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Riddley include Ridley, Ridly and others.

Early Notables of the Riddley family

Distinguished members of the family include Lancelot Ridley (died 1576), an English divine, said to have been the son of John Ridley of Willimoteswick in Northumberland; and his second son, Dr. Mark Ridley (1560-c.1624), an English physician born at Stretham, Cambridgeshire; and Nicholas Ridley (1500-1555) an English Bishop of London, burned at the stake as one of the Oxford Martyrs. 2 Sir Thomas...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Riddley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Riddley family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Riddley or a variant listed above: Richard Ridley settled in Boston in 1635; along with Anne; Elizabeth Ridley settled in Bermuda in 1635; John Ridley settled in South Carolina in 1716.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print