Ridly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Ridly surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in the region of Ridley in the counties of Northumberland, Cheshire and Kent. Ridly 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 Ridly family

The surname Ridly 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 Ridly family

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

Ridly Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Ridly include Ridley, Ridly and others.

Early Notables of the Ridly 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 Ridly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ridly migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Ridly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Anne, John and William Ridly, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Ann Ridly, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 3
William Ridly, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 3
John Ridly, who landed in Virginia in 1654 3
James Ridly, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Ridly 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.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)