The son of Henry John Ridley of Wallsend, Northumberland; educated at Christ Church, Oxford, he was prebendary of Bristol (1816-32) and Norwich (1832-34). His wife Elizabeth Steere in 1843 was remarried to James Scarlett, first Baron Abinger.

REFERENCES TO Henry John Ridley:

Sydney Smith to Lady Holland, 17 February 1828 in A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith. By his Daughter, Lady Holland. With a Selection from his Letters, edited by Mrs. Austin 2 vols (London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1855)