William Pett Ridge
William Pett Ridge was an English author born in Chartham, near Canterbury, whose literary career focused on the lives of the Cockney working class in London's East End. He received his education at Marden in Kent and the Birkbeck Institute in London, which was notable for catering to the working class. Ridge began his writing career while working as a clerk at the Railway Clearing House, publishing his first novel, *A Clever Wife*, in 1895, and quickly establishing himself as a prolific writer. His most acclaimed work, *Mord Em'ly*, published in 1899, solidified his role as a key figure in the Cockney School of British realism, drawing inspiration from literary giants like Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens. Throughout his career, Ridge produced numerous novels that explored the experiences of the working class, though his popularity waned in the early 1900s as interest in Cockney literature declined. In 1925, he released his memoirs, *I Like to Remember*, reflecting on his life and interactions with notable literary figures. Ridge published his final novel, *Affectionate Regards*, in 1929, before passing away the following year. Despite his contributions, Ridge's work and the Cockney School have largely faded from the forefront of literary history.
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William Pett Ridge
Writer
- Born: c. 1859
- Birthplace: Chartham, near Canterbury, England
- Died: October 1, 1930
Biography
William Pett Ridge was born in Chartham, England, near Canterbury. Not much is known about his early life. He was educated at Marden, Kent, and at Birbeck Institute in London, which was the first college in England established for the working class. In 1909, he married Olga Hentschel, daughter of Carl Hentschel, a member of the Royal Institute and Society of Arts and the owner of a London theater journal. The couple had two children, a son and a daughter.
After finishing his schooling, Ridge went to work as a clerk at the Railway Clearing House, and wrote in the evenings. In 1890, his short pieces on London life were printed in the St. James Gazette, and his first novel, A Clever Wife, was published five years later, marking the start of a prolific career, during which he averaged more than one book a year.
With the publication of his most successful novel, Mord Em’ly, in 1899, Ridge discovered the subject matter that would occupy him for his entire career, the lives of the Cockney working class in London’s East End. In fact, he is considered one of the founders of the Cockney School of British realism, which was influenced by such writers as Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens. In this novel the heroine, who is proud of her home and Cockney roots, refuses all attempts by outsiders to “better herself.” In his novels Outside the Radius (1899), A Son of the State (1899), and A Breaker of Laws (1900), he continued to examine the life of London’s working classes.
The popularity of the Cockney School novels declined during the first decade of the 1900’s and Ridge’s popularity declined with it. In 1925, he published his memoirs, I Like to Remember, in which he described his life as a minor literary figure in London, and his meetings with some of the eminent figures of the day, such as H. G. Wells and Rudyard Kipling. He published his last novel, Affectionate Regards, in 1929 and died a year later.
Ridge’s work has not stood the test of time and has been relegated to a footnote in literary history, as has the Cockney School of literature, which played a very minor role in British literary history.