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William Ridley (bishop)
Encyclopedia
William Ridley was an English missionary for the Church of England
in Canada and served as Bishop of Caledonia
.
shire, England, and was the son of a stonemason. He was a carpenter before attending the Church Missionary Society's Islington Training School and being sent, in 1866, to missionize among Afghans in what was then the province of Peshawar
in India. His rough time there, plagued by disease and low morale, lasted only three years. Next he served as priest of the Anglican church in Dresden
from 1867-1872.
Returning to England, he became vicar of St Paul's Church in Huddersfield
from 1874-1879. In 1879 Ridley was created Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Caledonia in northern British Columbia
, and he and his wife Jane set out for Canada. His appointment involved ensuring that missions under the Church Missionary Society (CMS) adhered to Anglican doctrine. This put him in direct conflict with William Duncan
, the charismatic lay missionary in charge of the Tsimshian
mission at Metlakatla
, a utopian Christian community which was drifting from Anglican orthodoxy in the direction of Duncan's own low-church evangelicalism.
, which he eventually did, in collaboration Odille Morison
, a Tsimshian. This became the so-called "Ridley orthography," the language's first practical spelling system. The Ridley-Duncan feud was fierce. At one point, Ridley's attempts to dislodge Duncan from Metlakatla led to a near-fistfight with Duncan's key convert, the Tsimshian chief Paul Legaic
.
The conflict between Duncan and Ridley led to Duncan's expulsion from the CMS in 1881, Duncan's establishment of an independent, nondenominational church in Metlakatla, and eventually, in 1887, a migration to Alaska, where Duncan and approximately 800 Metlakatlans founded "New" Metlakatla, Alaska
. Ridley's conflicts with Duncan continued after Duncan's departure to Alaska, focusing on serious accusations against Duncan's morals. After Duncan's departure, the 100 or so remaining residents of the mission "Old Metlakatla," as it was now sometimes known, were left in Ridley's charge.
, later the prominent Alaska Native rights activist. This tragic fire broke Ridley emotionally and led to his early retirement and departure for England in 1905.
He was succeeded as Metlakatla's preacher by the Reverend John Henry Keen
. Ridley died May 25, 1911, in England. Ridley Island
, now an industrial site near Prince Rupert, British Columbia, is named for him, as are numerous Tsimshian extended families with the Ridley surname in Metlakatla, Alaska, and in Hartley Bay and Kitkatla
, British Columbia.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in Canada and served as Bishop of Caledonia
Anglican Diocese of Caledonia
The Diocese of Caledonia is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and the Yukon of the Anglican Church of Canada.Early missionary leaders who served in this diocese include Bishop William Ridley and James Benjamin McCullagh....
.
Life
Ridley was from Brixham DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire, England, and was the son of a stonemason. He was a carpenter before attending the Church Missionary Society's Islington Training School and being sent, in 1866, to missionize among Afghans in what was then the province of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
in India. His rough time there, plagued by disease and low morale, lasted only three years. Next he served as priest of the Anglican church in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
from 1867-1872.
Returning to England, he became vicar of St Paul's Church in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
from 1874-1879. In 1879 Ridley was created Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Caledonia in northern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and he and his wife Jane set out for Canada. His appointment involved ensuring that missions under the Church Missionary Society (CMS) adhered to Anglican doctrine. This put him in direct conflict with William Duncan
William Duncan (missionary)
William Duncan was an English-born Anglican missionary who founded the Tsimshian communities of Metlakatla, British Columbia, in Canada, and Metlakatla, Alaska, in the United States...
, the charismatic lay missionary in charge of the Tsimshian
Tsimshian
The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...
mission at Metlakatla
Metlakatla, British Columbia
Metlakatla, British Columbia, is a small community that is one of the seven Tsimshian village communities in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated at Metlakatla Pass near Prince Rupert, British Columbia...
, a utopian Christian community which was drifting from Anglican orthodoxy in the direction of Duncan's own low-church evangelicalism.
Ridley-Duncan feud
In particular, Duncan refused to offer his parishioners holy communion on the grounds that it would whet their appetite for recently abandoned "cannibalistic" practices. Duncan also objected to Ridley's commitment to translating catechism into the Tsimshian languageCoast Tsimshian
Coast Tsimshian, known by its speakers as Sm'algyax, is a Tsimshianic language spoken by the Tsimshian nation in northwestern British Columbia and southeastern Alaska...
, which he eventually did, in collaboration Odille Morison
Odille Morison
Odille Morison was a linguist, artifact collector, and community leader from the Tsimshian First Nation of northwestern British Columbia, Canada....
, a Tsimshian. This became the so-called "Ridley orthography," the language's first practical spelling system. The Ridley-Duncan feud was fierce. At one point, Ridley's attempts to dislodge Duncan from Metlakatla led to a near-fistfight with Duncan's key convert, the Tsimshian chief Paul Legaic
Ligeex
Ligeex is an hereditary name-title belonging to the Gispaxlo'ots tribe of the Tsimshian First Nation from the village of Lax Kw'alaams , British Columbia, Canada. The name, and the chieftainship it represents, is passed along matrilineally within the royal house called the House of Ligeex...
.
The conflict between Duncan and Ridley led to Duncan's expulsion from the CMS in 1881, Duncan's establishment of an independent, nondenominational church in Metlakatla, and eventually, in 1887, a migration to Alaska, where Duncan and approximately 800 Metlakatlans founded "New" Metlakatla, Alaska
Metlakatla, Alaska
Metlakatla is a census-designated place on Annette Island in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,375.- History :...
. Ridley's conflicts with Duncan continued after Duncan's departure to Alaska, focusing on serious accusations against Duncan's morals. After Duncan's departure, the 100 or so remaining residents of the mission "Old Metlakatla," as it was now sometimes known, were left in Ridley's charge.
Final years and legacy
In July 1901 a fire destroyed St. Paul's Church at Metlakatla, demolishing what was said to have been the largest church north of San Francisco and west of Chicago, built by Duncan in 1874. Some sources indicate that the fire was started by a band of Alaska Tsimshians under Duncan's orders, including Peter SimpsonPeter Simpson (Native rights activist)
Peter Simpson was a Canadian-born Tsimshian activist for Alaska Native rights. He grew up in Metlakatla, Alaska, but his Tsimshian ancestors were from Lax Kw'alaams and Metlakatla, British Columbia....
, later the prominent Alaska Native rights activist. This tragic fire broke Ridley emotionally and led to his early retirement and departure for England in 1905.
He was succeeded as Metlakatla's preacher by the Reverend John Henry Keen
John Henry Keen
The Reverend John Henry Keen was a missionary in Canada. He translated scriptures into Haida. Keen wrote on insects he had discovered and he had a species of mouse and bat named after him. In 1898 Keen sold a number of items to the British Museum including a model totem and an explanation of the...
. Ridley died May 25, 1911, in England. Ridley Island
Ridley Island
Ridley Island is an island lying 2 nautical miles north of False Round Point, King George Island, in the South Shetland Islands. This island was known to both American and British sealers as early as 1822, and the name Ridley is well established in international usage....
, now an industrial site near Prince Rupert, British Columbia, is named for him, as are numerous Tsimshian extended families with the Ridley surname in Metlakatla, Alaska, and in Hartley Bay and Kitkatla
Kitkatla
The Kitkatla are one of the 14 bands of the Tsimshian nation of the Canadian province of British Columbia, and inhabit a village, also called Kitkatla , on Dolphin Island, a small island just by Porcher Island off the coast of northern B.C. Because of this they have sometimes been called Porcher...
, British Columbia.
External links
- Snapshots from the North Pacific from Project CanterburyProject CanterburyProject Canterbury is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999, and is hosted by the non-profit Society of Archbishop Justus...
- A Selection of Prayers in Gitxsan translated by Ridley