Sir Matthew White Ridley, 2nd Baronet

Sir Matthew White Ridley, 2nd Baronet (28 October 1745 – 9 April 1813), was a Northumbrian landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1768 and 1812.

Sir
Matthew White Ridley
2nd Baronet
Member of Parliament for Morpeth
In office
17681774
Serving with Peter Beckford
Preceded byViscount Garlies
Thomas Duncombe
Succeeded byFrancis Eyre
Peter Delmé
Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne
In office
17741800
Preceded byMatthew Ridley
Sir Walter Blackett, Bt
Succeeded byParliament dissolved
Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne
In office
18011812
Preceded byNew Parliament
Succeeded byCuthbert Ellison
Matthew White Ridley
Personal details
Born(1745-10-28)28 October 1745
Heaton, Northumberland, England
Died9 April 1813(1813-04-09) (aged 67)
Northumberland, England
Spouse
Sarah Colborne
(m. 1777)
Children6
Parents
RelativesMatthew White Ridley (son)
Nicholas Ridley-Colborne (son)
John Scott (grandson)
Matthew White Ridley (grandson)
William Henry Ridley (grandson)
Matthew White Ridley (great grandson)
Blagdon Hall, Northumberland

Life

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He was the son of Matthew Ridley (1716–1778), Governor of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Company of Merchant Adventurers, four times Mayor of and five times Member of Parliament for Newcastle, and Elizabeth White (1721–1764), daughter of Matthew White, a prominent Newcastle merchant of Blagdon Hall, Stannington, Northumberland, and sister of Sir Matthew White, 1st Baronet, of Blagdon. He succeeded to the baronetcy of Blagdon and to the estate at Blagdon Hall on the death of his uncle in 1763.

He followed his father as Governor of the Company of Merchant Adventurers.

He was appointed Chief Magistrate for Newcastle on three occasions, and was elected Mayor of the city three times, in 1774, 1782 and 1791. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Morpeth 1768–1774 and Newcastle 1774–1812.[1]

A monument to his memory stands in the nave of St Nicholas' Cathedral, Newcastle. Ridley is depicted in full length life size dressed in a Roman toga. The inscription gives details of his service to the community.

Family

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Ridley married Sarah Colborne, daughter of Benjamin Colborne of Bath, in 1777; they had five sons and one daughter:

  • Sir Matthew White Ridley, 3rd Baronet (18 April 1778 – 14 July 1836)[2]
  • Nicholas Ridley-Colborne, 1st Baron Colborne (14 April 1779 – 3 May 1854)
  • Rev. Henry Colborne (14 May 1780 – 3 February 1832) married Mary Farrer, daughter of James William Farrer. They had three sons, and a daughter.
  • Henrietta Elizabeth (1781 – 10 October 1853) married twice. Firstly to the Hon. John Scott, son of John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon, on 22 August 1804. After his death she married secondly her brother's in-law, James William Farrer, son of James Farrer, on 6 July 1811. She had one son with Scott, and three sons and a daughter with Farrer.
  • Rev. Richard (28 July 1782 – 21 January 1845) married Catherine Lucy Johnson, daughter of Rev. Richard Popplewell Johnson, on 8 November 1810. They had no known issue.
  • Rev. Charles John (b. 5 September 1792)

His third son, Henry, and grandson William Henry Ridley, were both Rectors of Hambleden, Bucks.

His great grandson, the 5th Baronet, was created Viscount Ridley in 1900.

References

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  1. ^ "RIDLEY, Sir Matthew White, 2nd Bt. (1745–1813), of Blagdon and Heaton, Northumb". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  2. ^ Burke, Bernard (1903). Ashworth P. Burke (ed.). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage and Companionage (65th ed.). London: Harrison and Sons. pp. 1287–88.
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Morpeth
17681774
With: Peter Beckford
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne
17741800
With: Sir Walter Blackett, Bt, until 1777
Sir John Trevelyan, Bt, 1777–1780
Andrew Robinson Bowes 1780–1784
Charles Brandling 1784–1798
Charles John Brandling from 1798
Parliament dissolved
Parliament of the United Kingdom
New parliament Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne
18011812
With: Charles John Brandling
Succeeded by
Baronetage of Great Britain
Preceded by
Matthew White
Baronet
of Blagdon
1763–1813
Succeeded by