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Richard Ridge: Convict, Trader and Bailiff in Early Colonial NSW
Richard Ridge was the cousin of a Viscountess when he was born in Oxfordshire in 1766. But, in 1791, he arrived with the Third Fleet as a convict in the penal colony of New South Wales.
Literate and numerate, once free, he earned money by carting goods, surviving the clutches of the NSW Corps and their cronies. The colony’s civil court transactions revealed his active trading activities.
Along the way he managed to win the respect of some powerful men in Sydney. By 1807 he was employed as the bailiff, an officer of the court, spending much time on horseback, delivering writs and seizing assets of debtors, as ordered by the court. This tough position exposed him to financial risks, and also physical risk from disgruntled debtors.
Richard’s boss was the Provost Marshal, William Gore, who’d arrived in Sydney with Governor Bligh in August 1806. In that role, Gore enforced the arrest of John Macarthur. Richard became caught up in the upheaval leading to the Rum Rebellion by the NSW Corps in January 1808, and its aftermath. Later came the legal battles between Governor Macquarie and Sydney’s unimpressive bunch of lawyers, also impacting Richard’s employment.
At the Hawkesbury, where Richard settled, he endured relentless floods. As a constable in the 1820s he dealt with men competing for land in the newly-opened wilderness area along the Colo River.
Richard was a protector type. He rescued three damsels in distress: Mary Cunningham/Carroll, Jane Poole and Margaret Forrester. His two daughters born to Mary and Jane were raised by their feminist mothers; he was a protective parent of his eleven children with his young wife Margaret.
Richard Ridge was ‘ridgy-didge’, Australian slang for a genuine, straightforward person. He triumphed over incredible adversity during his busy, challenging and adventurous life.
Literate and numerate, once free, he earned money by carting goods, surviving the clutches of the NSW Corps and their cronies. The colony’s civil court transactions revealed his active trading activities.
Along the way he managed to win the respect of some powerful men in Sydney. By 1807 he was employed as the bailiff, an officer of the court, spending much time on horseback, delivering writs and seizing assets of debtors, as ordered by the court. This tough position exposed him to financial risks, and also physical risk from disgruntled debtors.
Richard’s boss was the Provost Marshal, William Gore, who’d arrived in Sydney with Governor Bligh in August 1806. In that role, Gore enforced the arrest of John Macarthur. Richard became caught up in the upheaval leading to the Rum Rebellion by the NSW Corps in January 1808, and its aftermath. Later came the legal battles between Governor Macquarie and Sydney’s unimpressive bunch of lawyers, also impacting Richard’s employment.
At the Hawkesbury, where Richard settled, he endured relentless floods. As a constable in the 1820s he dealt with men competing for land in the newly-opened wilderness area along the Colo River.
Richard was a protector type. He rescued three damsels in distress: Mary Cunningham/Carroll, Jane Poole and Margaret Forrester. His two daughters born to Mary and Jane were raised by their feminist mothers; he was a protective parent of his eleven children with his young wife Margaret.
Richard Ridge was ‘ridgy-didge’, Australian slang for a genuine, straightforward person. He triumphed over incredible adversity during his busy, challenging and adventurous life.
347 pages, Paperback
Published November 21, 2025
About the author
Louise Wilson
13 books20 followersLouise Wilson/Louisa Valentine married young, expecting to have one husband and three children, but life messed up those plans. The complications of family life provide a rich resource for her as a writer.
Louisa Valentine's themes so far? A love triangle. A secret baby. Infertile couples. Unconventional heroines. Star-crossed lovers longing for something - and someone - seemingly out of reach. Second chances. Her latest book is Still Waters Run Deep.
Writing as Louise Wilson she has also published prize-winning non-fiction books, including Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory and Sentenced to Debt: Robert Forrester, First Fleeter.
Website for both author names is https://www.louisewilson.com.au
Follow her here on Goodreads
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Louise Wilson, Author https://www.facebook.com/LouiseWilson...
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Louisa Valentine, Author https://www.facebook.com/LouisaValent...
Louisa Valentine's themes so far? A love triangle. A secret baby. Infertile couples. Unconventional heroines. Star-crossed lovers longing for something - and someone - seemingly out of reach. Second chances. Her latest book is Still Waters Run Deep.
Writing as Louise Wilson she has also published prize-winning non-fiction books, including Margaret Flockton: A Fragrant Memory and Sentenced to Debt: Robert Forrester, First Fleeter.
Website for both author names is https://www.louisewilson.com.au
Follow her here on Goodreads
Follow her on Facebook at
Louise Wilson, Author https://www.facebook.com/LouiseWilson...
AND
Louisa Valentine, Author https://www.facebook.com/LouisaValent...
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