Alexander Handyside Ritchie (16 April 1804 – 24 April 1870) was a Scottish sculptor born in

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

in 1804, the son of James Ritchie, a local brickmaker and ornamental plasterer, and his wife Euphemia. The father in turn was the son of a fisherman and amateur sculptor.

Life

Ritchie was born in Musselburgh in 1804. After studying architecture he turned to sculpture. In 1823 he studied under Samuel Joseph at the Edinburgh School of Arts. He briefly also studied anatomy at Dr. John Barclay's Anatomy School in 1822. He studied in Rome under

Bertel Thorvaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish and Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in ...

(1826-1830), under the sponsorship of Walter, 5th Duke of Buccleuch. A favourite of Thorvaldsen he was awarded a gold medal under his tutorship. In 1830 he returned to Musselburgh where he held a studio for 12 years, then opened a sculpture studio at 92 Princes Street, Edinburgh in 1842. He had a yard at 4 East Broughton Place where most of the work was done. Ritchie trained other sculptors such as John Rhind here. His brother John Ritchie assisted him on some works, working from the same studio. He also worked with and trained John Rhind, Alexander Munro and

George Anderson Lawson George Anderson Lawson (Edinburgh 1832 – 23 September 1904) was a British Victorian era sculptor who was associated with the New Sculpture movement. Life He was born at Edinburgh in 1832, the son of David Lawson and Anne Campbell. He wa ...

. He was elected an Associate of the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

in 1846. In 1854, he moved his studio to Mound Place in the centre of Edinburgh, living nearby at 92 Princes Street. He retired in 1861, but maintained a studio at Coates Place in Edinburgh, where he held a final exhibition in 1862. He returned to his family home at Herkes Loan, Musselburgh and spent his final years in the care of his sister Euphemia. He had no wish for riches and they lived frugally. He died on 24 April 1870, leaving £6 10s 6d in his will. He is buried in the churchyard of St Michael in

Inveresk Inveresk (Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Inbhir Easg'') is a village in East Lothian, Scotland situated to the south of Musselburgh. It has been designated a Conservation area (United Kingdom), conservation area since 1969. It is situated on s ...

just outside

. He lies to the east side of the south entrance path, facing away from the path. He had no family and the grave is very humble. It is marked as being erected by his "brother sculptors WB and JR" presumed to be

William Brodie William Brodie (28 September 1741 – 1 October 1788), often known by his title of Deacon Brodie, was a Scottish cabinet-maker, deacon of a trades guild, and Edinburgh city councillor, who maintained a secret life as a housebreaker, partly fo ...

and John Rhind. It is presumed he was descended from the local farming family, the Handasydes, of whom Archibald Handasyde was a stonemason responsible for the carving of a sundial on the session house of St. Michaels in 1785.Buildings of Scotland: Lothian by Colin McWilliam

List of Works

* Bust of Sir John Hope (exhibited at RSA 1825) * Bust of

Thorwaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danish and Icelandic sculptor medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a working-class Danish/ ...

(exhibited at RSA 1830) * Bust of

Joseph Hume Joseph Hume FRS (22 January 1777 – 20 February 1855) was a Scottish surgeon and Radical MP.Ronald K. Huch, Paul R. Ziegler 1985 Joseph Hume, the People's M.P.: DIANE Publishing. Early life He was born the son of a shipmaster James Hume ...

(1830)

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opened in ...

* Monument to Charles Marjoribanks at

Coldstream Coldstream ( gd, An Sruthan Fuar , sco, Caustrim) is a town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. A former burgh, Coldstream is the home of the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army. Description Coldstream l ...

(1836) * Bust of the Countess of Lincoln (exhibited at the RA 1837) * Statuary on Edinburgh's Central Public Library (1837) (with John) * Tablet to Rev. John Patterson,

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

Church (1838) * Statue of

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

in Selkirk (1839) * Ronaldson memorial,

East Preston Street Burial Ground East Preston Street Burial Ground is a burial ground in south Edinburgh holding graves from the 19th and 20th century. The graveyard is in the care of the City of Edinburgh Council. It stands at the junction of East Preston Street and Dalkei ...

, Edinburgh, (c.1840) * Statue over entrance of 3 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, "Caledonia and Her Children" (1840) * Statue of Mr Ferguson of Raith at Dirlton, Haddington (1843) * Memorial to Rev. David Dickson, at base of the west tower of St. Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh (1844) * Statuary group " Sophropia and

Olinda Olinda () is a historic city in Pernambuco, Brazil, in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. It is located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, in the Recife metropolitan area, Metropolitan Region of Recife, the state capi ...

at the Stake" exhibited at

Westminster Hall The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

1844. * Statuary on

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

, Queen Street, Edinburgh (1844). Corinthian aedicule bearing a figure of

Hygeia Hygieia is a goddess from Greek, as well as Roman, mythology (also referred to as: Hygiea or Hygeia; ; grc, Ὑγιεία or , la, Hygēa or ). Hygieia is a goddess of health ( el, ὑγίεια – ''hugieia''), cleanliness and hygiene. Her ...

flanked by statues of

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of ...

and Aesculapius. * Figure of

Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

(Bonny Prince Charlie) (1844) for the inaugural opening of the

Scott Monument The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It is the second largest monument to a writer in the world after the José Martí monument in Havana. It stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, opp ...

(1846) * Figures on the tympanum of the Commercial Bank, Glasgow (1846) including three figures of children highly praised by the "Art Union". * Monumental figures on the head of six corinthian columns at 39 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh (built as the

British Linen Bank The British Linen Bank was a commercial bank based in the United Kingdom. It was acquired by the Bank of Scotland in 1969 and served as the establishment's merchant bank arm from 1977 until 1999. History Foundation The Edinburgh-based Britis ...

1846). In

Baalbec Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac language, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In ...

fashion, representing Navigation, Commerce, Manufacture, Science, Art and Agriculture. * Figures of Eustace de Vescy and

William de Mowbray William de Mowbray (–), lord of Thirsk and Mowbray, was a Norman Lord and English noble who was one of the twenty-five executors of '' Magna Carta''. He was described as being as small as a dwarf but very generous and valiant. Family origin W ...

(two signators of the

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...

for the Chamber of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

under the supervision of John Thomas. (1847) * Pedimental sculpture on the Commercial Bank, 14 George Street, Edinburgh (later the Royal Bank of Scotland, latterly "The Dome") (1844–47). Caledonia flanked by Prudence, Agriculture, Commerce, Enterprise, Mechanical Science and Learning. * Monument to James Reoch (d.1845) within South Leith Parish Church (1848). Portrait head flanked by Charity and Justice. * Restoration of carvings on John Knox's House on the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

(1850) * Statue of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

for

Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinbu ...

(1851) * Monument to John Henry Alexander, actor and theatre owner,

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only ...

(1851) * Lions for

Hamilton Mausoleum Hamilton Mausoleum is a mausoleum located in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was the resting place of the family of the Dukes of Hamilton.Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

in Montrose (1852) * Statue of Dr

David Macbeth Moir David Macbeth Moir (5 January 17986 July 1851) was a Scottish physician and writer. Biography Moir was born at Musselburgh on 5 January 1798, the son of Elizabeth Macbeth (1767–1842) and Robert Moir (''d''. 1842). He was educated at Muss ...

("Delta" Moir) on

High St (1853) * Monument to Colonel James Gardiner, mortally wounded at the

Battle of Prestonpans The Battle of Prestonpans, also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, was fought on 21 September 1745, near Prestonpans, in East Lothian, the first significant engagement of the Jacobite rising of 1745. Jacobite forces, led by the Stuart exile C ...

, near Bankton House,

Prestonpans Prestonpans ( gd, Baile an t-Sagairt, Scots: ''The Pans'') is a small mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the Council area of East Lothian. The population as of is. It is near the site of the 1745 ...

(1853) * Commission for a "colossal nude statue" for Peter Denny, Provost of

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

resulting in a second trip to Rome to study (1854). Possibly never executed. If existing its location is unknown. * Figures of

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...

Andrew Melville Andrew Melville (1 August 1545 – 1622) was a Scottish scholar, theologian, poet and religious reformer. His fame encouraged scholars from the European continent to study at Glasgow and St. Andrews. He was born at Baldovie, on 1 August 154 ...

, Alexander Henderson, James Renwick and

Ebenezer Erskine Ebenezer Erskine (22 June 1680 – 2 June 1754) was a Scotland, Scottish minister whose actions led to the establishment of the First Secession, Secession Church (formed by dissenters from the Church of Scotland). Early life Ebenezer's father, ...

plus a glass-covered monument to commemorate the Covenanters, Margaret and Agnes Wilson, all in Valley Cemetery, Stirling (1858) (known as the "Martyr's Monument") * Statue of

Hugh Miller Hugh Miller (10 October 1802 – 23/24 December 1856) was a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist and an evangelical Christian. Life and work Miller was born in Cromarty, the first of three children of Harriet Wright ('' ...

Cromarty Cromarty (; gd, Cromba, ) is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, it is seaward from In ...

(1858) * Statue of

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army a ...

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

(1858) * Fishermen's Memorial at

Dunbar Harbour Dunbar Harbour is a seaport forming the north-east part of the town of Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on a point projecting from the North Sea coast of East Lothian into the mouth of the Firth of Forth. The built harbour, on the s ...

(1861) * Heads of "Time" "Death" and "Eternity" for

Hamilton Mausoleum Hamilton Mausoleum is a mausoleum located in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was the resting place of the family of the Dukes of Hamilton.1804 births 1870 deaths People from Musselburgh Scottish sculptors Scottish male sculptors 19th-century British sculptors 19th-century Scottish people Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art 19th-century British male artists