Riddell Baronets

Riddell Baronets

There have been three baronetcies created for people with the surname Riddell, one in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom.

The Riddell Baronetcy, of Riddell in the County of Roxburgh, was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia on 14 May 1628 for John Riddell. Sir John Riddell's lands were erected into the barony and regality of New Riddell. Sir John’s third son, William, was knighted by Charles I and later served in the Eighty Years' War also known as the Netherlands' War of Independence. The Reverend Archibald Riddell, the third son of the second Baronet, was a minister of the reformed church in Edinburgh who was persecuted and imprisoned because he would not renounce his Covenanter beliefs; unlike many others, however, he escaped with his life. Sir John Buchanan Riddell, MP for Selkirk, married in 1805 the eldest daughter of the Earl of Romney. In September 1998 the 13th Baronet, Sir John, was recognised by the Lord Lyon as Chief of the name.

The Riddell Baronetcy, of Ardnamurchan in the County of Argyll, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 2 September 1778 for James Riddell. He was superintendent general to the Society of British Fishery and a Fellow of the Society of Arts and Sciences. Sir Rodney Riddell, the fourth and last Baronet, was a distinguished professional soldier who campaigned in New Zealand and during the Afghan War of 1878 to 1880. He died in 1907 and the title became extinct on his death.

The Riddell Baronetcy, of Walton in the County of Surrey, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 31 January 1918 for George Allardice Riddell. Sir George was a prominent newspaper proprietor who was subsequently created Baron Riddell. Thus the baronetcy became a subsidiary title until it became extinct on his death in 1934.