William Riddell (1807–1847) was a

Roman Catholic bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy Orders, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of Holy orders in the Catholic Church, holy orders and is responsible ...

who briefly served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District of England in 1847.

Early life and ministry

He was born at Felton Park, near

Morpeth, Northumberland Morpeth is a historic market town in Northumberland, North East England, lying on the River Wansbeck. Nearby towns include Ashington, Northumberland, Ashington and Bedlington, Northumberland, Bedlington. In the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 ...

, England on 5 February 1807, the son of Ralph Riddell and Elizabeth Blount., ''The Episcopal Succession, volume 3'', p. 345. He began his education at

Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst College is a co-educational Catholic Church, Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Society of Jesus, Jesuit tradition, on the Stonyhurst, Stonyhurst Estate, Lancashire, England. It occupies a Grade I listed building. Th ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

on 21 September 1817, and then to the

English College, Rome The Venerable English College (), commonly referred to as the English College, is a Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales. It was founded in 1579 by William Allen on the model of the English College, ...

on 29 November 1823, where he completed his theological studies. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

sub-deacon Subdeacon (or sub-deacon) is a minor order or ministry for men in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed between the acolyte (or reader) and the deacon in the order of precedence. Subdeacons in ...

on 22 March 1828, a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in August 1829, and a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in March 1830. After leaving Rome for England on 1 August 1830, he had a brief period as secretary to

Cardinal Weld Thomas Weld (22 January 1773 – 10 April 1837) was an English landowner who renounced his assets to enter the Roman Catholic priesthood. He was consecrated Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Family Weld was born in London on 22 January 1773 ...

. In June 1832, he began as an assistant in the

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, and subsequently taking charge of the mission.

Vicar Apostolic

He was appointed

coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

to the Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District, Bishop

Francis George Mostyn Francis George Mostyn (1800–1847) was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District of England from 1840 to 1847. He was born in 1800, the son of Charles Browne Mostyn, of Kidlington, Oxfordshire, by his se ...

, on 22 December 1843. On the same day, he was appointed

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Lagania'', and was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

to the

Episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

by Bishop John Briggs on 17 March 1844. On the death of Bishop Mostyn on 11 August 1847, Riddell briefly succeeded as Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District. He died in office at Charlotte Street, Newcastle upon Tyne on 2 November 1847, aged 40, of typhus contracted while ministering to the victims of an epidemic, and is buried in the vaults of

St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne The Cathedral Church of St Mary is a Catholic cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and seat of the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. The cathedral, situated on Cla ...

., ''The Episcopal Succession, volume 3'', p. 346.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riddell, William 1807 births 1847 deaths English College, Rome alumni People educated at Stonyhurst College People from Morpeth, Northumberland 19th-century English Roman Catholic priests Apostolic vicars of England and Wales