George Ridding

George Ridding
George Ridding from the Illustrated Guide to the Church Congress, 1897
Born	(1828-03-16)16 March 1828
Died	30 August 1904(1904-08-30) (aged 76)
Nationality	British
Occupation	headmaster

George Ridding (16 March 1828 – 30 August 1904) was an English headmaster and bishop.

Life

George Ridding was born at Winchester College, of which his father, the Rev. Charles Ridding, vicar of Andover, was a fellow.

He was educated at Winchester College and at Balliol College, Oxford. He became a fellow of Exeter College and was a tutor from 1853 to 1863. In 1853 he married Mary Louisa Moberly, who died within a year of her marriage. Ordained Priest by Bishop of Oxford 20 September 1856 in St John Baptist Church, Oxford. He was appointed second master of Winchester College in 1863, and on the retirement of his father-in-law, George Moberly, he succeeded to the headmastership. The gate between College Meads and Lavender Meads bears his name.

During the tenure of this office (1867–1884) he carried out successfully a series of radical reforms in the organization of the school, resulting in a great increase both in its reputation and numbers. In 1884 he became the first Bishop of Southwell, and brought his powers of organization and conspicuous tact and moderation to bear on the management of the new diocese. There is a bronze statue of him in Southwell Minster by F. W. Pomeroy.

He took an active share in its educational and social work, and was materially assisted in these respects by his second wife, Lady Laura Palmer, daughter of the 1st Earl of Selborne. He resigned his see a short time before his death.

• 
  Painting of George Ridding, Headmaster of Winchester College,
  by Walter William Ouless
• 
  George Ridding, by Leslie Ward, 1901

Sources

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ridding, George". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 316.
• Church Quarterly Review (July 1905).
• J.V. Beckett, ‘Dr George Ridding: First Bishop of Southwell, 1884-1904’ in Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, Vol. 116 (2012)
• Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912). "Ridding, George" . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Kenyon, F. G.; Curthoys, M. C. "Ridding, George (1828–1904)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35750. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)