Obituary

1739, November 2nd

Died, at his seat at Heaton, near Newcastle, Richard Ridley, esq., an alderman and governor of the merchants’ company in Newcastle, and an extensive coal owner. On the 5th, in the evening, his corpse was interred in St. Nicholas’ church. The hearse, which was covered with escutcheons and drawn by six horses, was preceded by 86 of the deceased’s tenants and agents on horseback, two and two, with mourning gloves, and three servants; the hearse was followed by a retinue of mourning and other coaches. In this manner the corpse was conveyed from Heaton to Mr. Ridley’s house on the Quay, Newcastle, where the company were invited, and where the corpse was taken out of the hearse, and from thence carried to the church, the pall being covered with escutcheons, and supported by the eight following gentlemen :— Sir James Clavering, bart., Walter Blackett, Edward Collingwood, William Ellison, Nicholas Fenwick, Hilton Lawson, Thomas Bigge, and William Coulson, esqrs. The master of the charity school, with a scarf, &c., leading the charity boys of St. Nicholas’, went foremost in the procession; after whom came five beadles, who were followed by twenty men in cloaks, walking two and two, betwixt these and the corpse walked three couple of servants in mourning; behind the corpse walked twenty-four chief mourners, two and two; these were succeeded by the regalia of the town in mourning, borne by the proper officers, who were followed by the mayor, aldermen, &c., with scarfs and black gloves; next to these walked the clergy, with scarfs, who were followed by the relatives of the deceased in scarfs; to these succeeded the wardens, and secretary of the merchants’ company, with gloves, two and two, and closed with the beadle, in a scarf, &c. Then followed a multitude of gentlemen and tradesmen, with gloves; after these came the eighty-six tenants and agents on horseback, as before. During the procession through the town, half-minute guns were fired, and a solemn silence was observed by the vast crowd of spectators, and also the rejoicings of the day (being the 5th of November), were suspended. When the corpse entered in at the west door of the church, a piece of solemn music was performed upon the organ by Mr. Avison. After the funeral ceremony was over, the bells rung a mourning peal, which closed the solemnity of the day.

Source: Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by John Sykes, Published in 1833 in two volumes