George Ridding (16 March 1828 – 30 August 1904) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

headmaster and bishop.

Life

He was born at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

, of which his father, the Rev. Charles Ridding, vicar of

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andove ...

, was a fellow. He was educated at

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.Oxford University & City Herald, 27/09/1856 He was appointed second master of Winchester College in 1863, and on the retirement of his father-in-law,

George Moberly George Moberly (10 October 1803 – 6 July 1885) was an English cleric who was headmaster of Winchester College, and then served as Bishop of Salisbury from 1869 until his death. Life He was born in St Petersburg, Russia in 1803, the seventh s ...

, 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 In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

. 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.Serena Kelly, ‘Ridding , Lady Laura Elizabeth (1849–1939)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 22 Nov 2017
/ref> He resigned his see a short time before his death.

References

* * '' 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) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ridding, George 1828 births 1904 deaths People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Fellows of Exeter College, Oxford Bishops of Southwell Headmasters of Winchester College 19th-century Church of England bishops 20th-century Church of England bishops