Maria Riddell (née Woodley)

1772 - 1808


Biography

Writer, with an entry in the ODNB as 'poet'. Daughter of William Woodley MP (q.v.). Her husband was Walter Riddell (q.v.).

  1. 'On 16 September 1790, on St Kitts, Maria [Woodley] married a widower, Walter Riddell (1764–1802), lieutenant (on half pay), plantation owner on Antigua and the second son of Walter Riddell of Newhouse, a well-connected Dumfriesshire merchant, whose other son, Robert, of Glenriddell, was a noted antiquary and friend of Burns. They returned to Scotland, where Walter bought an estate near Dumfries. Renamed Woodley Park, it became the scene of many fashionable and literary gatherings. Two daughters, Anna Maria (1791–1859) and Sophia (1792–1797), were born before Walter departed in 1796 for Antigua, where he died.'

Sources

  1. Weinglass, D. H. 2004 "Riddell [née Woodley], Maria (1772–1808), poet." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 5 Jul. 2019. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-37895.

Further Information

Absentee?
British/Irish
Maiden Name
Woodley
Spouse
Walter Riddell
Children
Anna Maria
Oxford DNB Entry

Legacies Summary

Cultural (1)

Paintings
RIDDELL, Mrs Walter. Daughter of William Woodley, Lieut.-Governor of Antigua. R.A. 1806 (176). 30 X 25. Looking up 1., chin in hand. Kingston Lacy . Major Ralph Bankes. By family descent. Lit.... 
notes →
GARLICK, KENNETH. "A Catalogue of the Paintings, Drawings and Pastels of Sir Thomas Lawrence." The Volume of the Walpole Society 39 (1962): 3-336. Accessed April 3, 2020....

Relationships (2)

Second Wife → Husband
Daughter → Father

Addresses (1)

Woodley Park, Dumfries, Dumfriesshire, Southern Scotland, Scotland