Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Ridley, Lancelot

by William Arthur Shaw

RIDLEY, LANCELOT (d. 1576), divine, is said to have been the son of John Ridley of Willimoteswick in Northumberland, by Margaret, daughter of Richard Horton, and grandson of Sir Nicholas Ridley. Nicholas Ridley [q.v.], bishop of London, was his first cousin. He was educated at Clare Hall, Cambridge, and proceeded B.A. 1523–4, and commenced M.A. 1527, B.D. 1537, and D.D. 1540 or 1541. On the reorganisation of the church of Canterbury under the king's charter on 8 April 1541 he was constituted, on Cranmer's recommendation,one of the six preachers of that cathedral. Under Edward VI he was a vigorous defender of protestantism, and bishop Ridley seems to have meditated his promotion to the chancellorship of St. Paul's on the translation of Grindal to a bishopric November 1551. He was collated to the rectory of Willingham, Cambridge, on 10 June 1545.

On Mary's accession he was proceeded against as a married clergyman. He failed to appear on the day of visitation, but ten days after pleaded guilty in the chapter-house and was deprived (16 March 1553; Hist, MSS. Comm. 9th Rep. p. 101; Strype, Cranmer, p. 472). Bale heard a report that Ridley subsequently put away his wife and returned to celibacy and Roman Catholicism. He was deprived of the rectory of Willingham on or before 5 May 1554 (Baker MSS. xxx, 136, 141). Under Elizabeth, however, he reappears in 1560 as one of the six preachers of Canterbury (Strype, Parker, i, 20). He was also in the same year appointed rector of Stretham in Cambridge, where he was buried on 16 June 1576 (Blomefield, Collectanea Cantabr. p. 23). He married Mary, daughter of Christopher Paterson, and had two sons, Henry and Mark [q.v.]

Ridley wrote:

1. 'An Exposition upon the Epistle of Jude the Apostle of Christ, wherein he setteth plainli before every man's eyes false Apostles and their craftes, bi the whiche they have long deceived symple Christian people,' London, 1538, 8vo.
2. 'A Commentary in Englishe upon Sayncte Paule's Epistle to the Ephesians for the instruction of them that be unlearned in tonges gathered out of the Holy Scryptures and of the olde Catholyke Doctours of the Churche, and of the best authors that nowe a dayes do wryte,' London, 1540, 8vo.
3. 'An Exposition in Englyshe upon the Epystyll of Saynt Paule to the Phillipians for the instruction of them,' London, 1545(?) 8vo.
4. 'An Exposition in Englyshe upon the Epistle of S. Paule to the Colossians,' London, 1548, 8vo. The first three books are reprinted in Legh Richmond's 'Fathers of the English Church.'

Ridley is also credited by Tanner and Bale with many other expositions of scripture, as well as works 'De XIII Abusionibus Missæ,' and 'De Conjugio Ministrorum.'

[Bale's Scriptt. Brit. i. 713; Tanner's Bibl. Brit.-Hib. (inaccurate in details); Todd's Deans of Canterbury; Ames's Typogr. Antiq. ed. Herbert; Cotton's Editions of the Bible; Cole MSS. lx. 62; John Harrisson's (alias John Bale) Yet a Course of the Romish Fox, p. 49; Glocester Ridley's Life of Nicholas Ridley, p. 21; Cooper's Athenæ Cantabr.; Legh Richmond's Fathers of the English Church; Ridlon's Ancient Ryedales, p. 426.]

W. A. S.