Antiquary and patron of Robert Burns.
became captain in the 32nd (Cornwall) regiment of foot in Ireland, 17 Nov. 1780, and on 31 Oct. 1792 joined the 12th (Prince of Wales's) regiment of light dragoons (Army Lists, 1781 and 1793). But much of his life was passed in antiquarian and literary pursuits at Friars Carse, on his estate in Dumfriesshire. He published various papers in volumes ix. and x. of ‘Archæologia,’ including ‘An Account of the Ancient Lordship of Galloway,’ ‘Remarks on the Title of Thane and Abthane,’ ‘Of the Ancient Modes of Fortification in Scotland,’ and ‘Notices of Fonts in Scotland.’ He was a fellow of the Societies of Antiquaries both of London and Edinburgh, and a member of the Philosophical Society of Manchester. His description of Nithsdale, with drawings, &c., was presented to the Society of Antiquaries in 1793; and volume iv. of the ‘Memoirs’ of the Manchester society contains his dissertations on the ancient carved stones in Scotland and on one in Dumfriesshire. Riddell gave much help to Francis Grose [q. v.], who visited him at Friars Carse in 1789, and he corresponded with Richard Gough [q. v.] John Nichols [q. v.] had a large collection of his letters. Riddell was granted the degree of LL.D. at Edinburgh in 1794 (Nichols, Lit. Anecdotes, vi. 304, viii. 475).
But Riddell, ‘the trusty Glenriddell, so versed in old coins,’ is remembered chiefly as the friend of Robert Burns. Friars Carse was within a mile of Burns's farm of Ellisland, and Riddell gave the poet a key to the grounds. In a little hermitage there Burns wrote the ‘Verses in Friars Carse Hermitage’ (1788), and the song ‘The day returns’ in celebration of the anniversary of the Riddells’ wedding day (7 Nov. 1788). The friends were in the habit of exchanging rhyming notes, and in 1789 Burns undertook to prepare for Riddell a manuscript collection of fugitive verses and scraps. The volume containing this collection was subsequently returned to the poet by Riddell's widow. On 16 Oct. 1789 a great drinking bout was held at Friars Carse, when Riddell contested for an historical whistle with Sir Robert Laurie and Alexander Ferguson of Craigdarroch, both of whom were connections of his (Burke, Peerage). Ferguson was the victor, as Burns describes in ‘The Whistle.’ Riddell composed airs to several of Burns's songs, including ‘The Whistle,’ ‘The Banks of Nith,’ ‘The Blue-eyed Lassie,’ and ‘The day returns;’ and Burns assisted Riddell in founding a parish circulating library at Friars Carse (Sir J. Sinclair, Statistical Account of Scotland, 1792, iii. 597–600, letter from Riddell forwarding a letter from Burns).
On Robert Riddell's death in 1794, his widow could have allowed the property to go to Walter Riddell, her brother in law, who, under the terms of his brother's will, would then merely have had to pay her an annuity to retain the estate. Robert's widow disliked Walter Riddell to such an extent that she refused to exercise this option and the property was sold, passing out of the family's hands.
Dictionary_of_National_Biography:
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Riddell,_Robert Manuscripts:
https://www.nms.ac.uk/media/502952/ms-sas-586-tour-1789.pdf Friars Carse:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friars_Carse