410 RIDLEY FAMILY OF ENGLAND, -
EARLY ANCESTRY.
marriage of a Ridley of Willimoteswick with an heiress named Wale;
hence we find the arms of Wale quartered with those of Ridley in some
coats used by the Ridley family. The Ridleys of Tecket were once own-
ers of the property of Parkend (until 1560), but it passed from them to
the Earls of Suffolk; they held it until the beginning of the seventeenth
century, when it again became the property of the Ridleys of Tecket.
HEATON HALL, a residence of one branch of the Ridleys of Northum-
berland, was built in 1713, as a centre to the extensive collieries owned
by the Ridley family, a people who represented the city of Newcastle for
nearly one hundred years. This residence is delightfully situated in the
parish of All Saints, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and upon the steep woody bank
of Ouseburn. One of the family who resided at Heaton, from designs
furnished by Mr. Newton, architect, gave the house an elegant appearance
by adding the two towers (see plate-engraving in this book), and facing
the front with stone. This place is to be converted into a public park
for the city of Newcastle.
BLAGDON PARK, the residence of the baronial family of Ridley, present
representatives of the ancient border house of Willimoteswick, was for
three centuries owned by the Fenwicks, whose estates were forfeited by
decree of attainder from Cromwell's parliament. The house was built
before 1749, but additions were made and porticoes added from designs
of Bonomi, in 1830. The name was formerly Blakedene," from the
dark dene, lined with forest trees and crossed by a handsome bridge, which
runs behind the house on the north. The grounds at Blagdon are ap-
proached by a gate-way, with two white bulls (the family crest) upon the
piers. The arms of the family are upon one of the gables, surrounded by
fine scroll-work, and also upon the front, below those before mentioned.
In the grounds is preserved the ancient "Cale Cross," which once stood
at the foot of the side in Newcastle. In the church at Plessy Station, or
Stonington Church, there is some ancient stained glass, presented by Sir
Matthew W. Ridley, in 1772; this is near Blagdon Park.
Junior branches of the Ridley family located in various Counties in
England and Ireland. There was an offshoot seated at BATTERSEA, in the
County of York, from whom several sub-branches have descended. They
anciently lived at HEXHAM,* HAWDEN, CLIFTON PARK, CREWE HALL, AT-
KINTON, NEWCASTLE, GATESHEAD, and LONDON. The families have now
become too numerous for me to make particular mention of all ther resi-
dences.
* The name Ridley is not as common in Northumberland as once; from 1773 to
1790 large emigrations of Robsons and Ridleys from the North Tyne took place
to the United States and Canada.
