Frederic Edward Ridgeway was an Anglican bishop, 1901 - his death.
Vicar of St Peter's, Kensington, 1890 - 1900, and then briefly Rector of St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate. Consecrated Bishop of Kensington on 17 February 1901. 1911-21 he was Bishop of Salisbury. His older brother, Charles, was Bishop of Chichester (1908-19).
He attempted to write to every WW1-bereaved family, but his handwriting was notoriously poor. One woman is quoted: ‘We have had such a beautiful letter from the Bishop, though we can’t read it’.
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Our colleague, Andrew Behan, writes that in addition to the information shown on his Wikipedia page there is some confusion as to the spelling of his first forename. Most records show him as Frederic whilst some spell it as Frederick. Obituaries in newspapers show him as Frederic and when he was married his own signature in the marriage register was clearly Frederic Edward Ridgeway. Similarly he completed his census return form in 1911 in his own hand as Frederic Edward Ridgeway.
He was born on 29 January 1848 in High Roding, Essex, the youngest of the children of Joseph Robert Ridgeway (1802-1871) and Eliza Letitia Ridgeway née Chambers (1804-1875).
He was shown as Frederic Edwd. Ridgeway, aged 3 years, in the census that was taken on 30 March 1851. He was living in the hamlet of Penge, Surrey (now Greater London) in a property with his parents, five of his siblings: Eliza Harriet Ridgeway; Charles John Ridgeway; William Henry Ridgeway; Joseph West Ridgeway and Catherine Mary Ridgeway, his maternal grandmother Frances E. Chambers, a maternal aunt Catherine Chambers, together with a governess, a cook, a parlour maid, a nurse and a kitchen maid. His father was shown as the Perpetual Curate of Penge.
His name was recorded as Frederick E. Ridgeway in the census that was compiled on 7 April 1861. He was aged 13 years and scholar living in Christ Church Parsonage, High Street, Tunbridge Wells (now Royal Tunbridge Wells), Kent, with his parents and five of his siblings: Frances E. Ridgeway; Angelina Ridgeway; William Henry Ridgeway - Curate of Christ Church; Charles John Ridgeway - student at Trinity College, Cambridge and Catherine Mary Ridgeway - a scholar, together with a governess, a cook, a parlour maid, a housemaid and a page. His father was described as the Perpetual Curate of Christ Church.
He was recorded as Frederick E. Ridgeway in the census that was undertaken on 2 April 1871. His age was 23 years and he was described as the Curate of Christ Church. He was living at 88 Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, with his parents, his sister Catherine Mary Ridgeway and his cousin Frances H. Chambers, together with a nurse, a parlour maid and a housemaid. His father was listed as the Vicar of Christ Church, Tunbridge Wells.
On 26 October 1875 he married Pauline Josephine Newell née Vibart (1840-1923) in St Peter's Church, Brighton, Sussex (now East Sussex), where in the marriage register he was shown as Frederic Edward Ridgeway, of full age, a bachelor and a Clerk in Holy Orders living at Ryde, Isle of Wight, Hampshire, the son of Joseph Ridgeway, a deceased Clerk in Holy Orders whilst his wife was shown as of full age and a widow who was residing at 131 Marine Parade, Brighton, the daughter of John Vibart, deceased, who had been employed in the Bombay civil service.
He was shown in the census that was conducted on 3 April 1881 as Frederic E. Ridgeway, aged 33 years and an Episcopal Clergyman residing at 2 Queens Court, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland with his wife and their three children: Muriel Vibart Ridgeway (1876-1962); Noel Ridgeway (b.1877) and David Graeme Ridgeway (1871-1936), his step-son Thomas Henry Newell (1877-1936), together with four female servants.
He was listed as Frederic Ridgeway in the census that was taken on 5 April 1891, aged 43 years, a clergyman and Vicar of St Peter's South Kensington. He was shown as living in The Parsonage, St Peter's Church, Cranley Gardens, South Kensington, London (St Peter's Church was declared redundant in December 1972 and is now the St Yeghiche Armenian Church). He was residing there with his wife and their four children: Muriel Vibart Ridgeway; David Graeme Ridgeway; Neville Vibart Ridgeway (1883-1973) and Geoffrey Eric Ridgeway (1885-1947), together with a butler, a cook and two other female domestic servants.
He was shown as Frederic E. Ridgeway in the census that was undertaken on 31 March 1901. He was described as aged 53 years and the Bishop of Kensington who was living at 3 Devonshire Square, Bishopsgate, London, with his wife and their son, Noel Ridgeway - a bank clerk, together with a cook, a lady's maid, two housemaids and a footman.
When he completed his census return form on 2 April 1911 he showed himself as Frederic Edward Ridgeway, aged 63 years and as the Bishop Kensington. He was residing in a 20 roomed property called Hayes Manor, Hayes, Middlesex (now Greater London), with his wife and two of their children: Muriel Vibart Ridgeway and David Graeme Ridgeway who was a Captain in the Indian Army, together with a butler, a cook, a lady's maid and two housemaids. He also confirmed that his wife had given birth to five children, but that only four were still alive.
His death was registered as aged 73 years in the 2nd quarter of 1921 in the Marylebone Registration District, London. Probate records confirm that his address was The Palace, Salisbury, Wiltshire, but that he died on 4 May 1921 at 4 Dorset Square, Marylebone. Administration of his estate with a will was granted on 14 July 1921 to his widow and his effects totalled £16,807-17s-5d.
He is commemorated on the foundation stone at St Saviour's Church House as THE•LORD•BISHOP•OF•KENSINGTON However, it does not show his name.
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