Ridle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Ridle is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the region of Ridley in the counties of Northumberland, Cheshire and Kent. Ridle 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 Ridle family

The surname Ridle 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 Ridle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ridle 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 Ridle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ridle Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Ridle family name include Ridley, Ridly and others.

Early Notables of the Ridle 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 bo...
Sir Thomas Ridley (c. 1550-1629) was Chancellor of Winchester, born at Ely, the second son of Thomas Ridley, gent., of Bewling, Shropshire
Humphrey Ridley (1653-1708), was an English physician, son of Thomas Ridley of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. He settled in London, became a candidate or member of the College of Physicians on 30 Sept. 1...

Ridle migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Ridle surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Ridle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Ridle, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 2

Ridle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Georg Ridle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1764 2

Ridle migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ridle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Ridle, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Midlothian" in 1850 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Ridle (post 1700) +

Leslie Ridle, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alaska, 1996; Member, Credentials Committee, 2008 4

The Ridle Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Constans fidei
Motto Translation: Constant to honor.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MIDLOTHIAN 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Midlothian.gif
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html