Earliest traces of the Ridley family in the Sussex area go back to a Thomas Ridley -married to a Margery - in East Grinstead around c 1580. Some of the second generation of them then moved out to the Worth area, some to Balcombe and West Hoathly areas. There were also a few families down at Peasmarsh. It is however, the Worth/Balcombe branch which appears to have moved to the Forest area. John (b1743) married to Ann is believed to be one of the first. The ancestors are then further traced as Henry (b1787) married to an Elizabeth Pomphrey, James (b1812) married to Elizabeth Dann, Joseph (b1842) married to Abigail Ann Tyler (b1844), Frank Tyler Ridley (b1882) married to Jesse Lewis, on to my own Parents Frank Maurice Joseph Ridley (b1907) married to Anne Mary Rosser (b1907) from Cwmaman in South Wales. I myself was born in 1933 in the old house opposite the Church (Butts Cottage) and in 1956 married Sheila Scott also from Nutley, and whose family can be traced back to the late 1700's from around the Forest area.
In researching the family there were obviously many who were married to other well known locally named families. Among those from the early 1800's were the Osborne's, Penfold's, Wickhams, Tyler's, Gurr's, Stevenson's and Hobden's to name but a few. At the time of writing this there are 72 Ridley's buried in the Nutley Churchyard since 1847 and others in Fairwarp, Maresfield and other nearby cemeteries. Bearing in mind that in the 18th and 19th centuries it was nothing to raise a family of up to a dozen or more children there must be quite a few others around as well!. There were also some who tried their luck abroad. James (b1812) emigrated to America around the late 1850's, stayed for a while and when the American Civil War broke out, decided that England was a safer place, returned home. (Coincidently my mother's father did the same some years later.) Another two different branches of the family - a Sylvanus (b1881) emigrated to Canada, and an Arthur (b 1853) also to Canada. It was believed that neither knew the other had gone. There are still many generations of both these families in Canada and America. One couple came over in 1987 to do some family research bringing with him a photo of his great grandfather (another) Sylvanus (b1813) with him. I have found about seven Ridley's with this Christian name so far. Not surprisingly the dictionary gives the name as meaning "Man of the Forest". In fact the house we are now living in at Dodds Bottom was once owned from 1880 to 1929 by another Sylvanus. (b1849) married to Mary Hobden, whose parents were Landlords of the Red Lion at Chelwood Gate. They are both buried in Nutley next to his parents John (b 1820) married to Jane Gurr. In his latter days Sylvanus, being in poor health went to live with his sister-Alice Elizabeth who was married to William Osborne who was Landlord of the "Foresters" at Fairwarp, and ended his days there.
James (b1812) lived in Cackle Street during the late 1840's at a house called 'The Fox" (now called 'Yew Cottage', where Sheila lived once as a young child) He sold it and went to Michigan U.S.A. in early 1850's, but returned early 1860 not wanting to be involved in the US Civil War. Apparently they were shipwrecked on the way home and returned to Liverpool destitute and were brought home to Nutley by the 'Parish'. After he and his wife died Joseph -the eldest son - had three younger brothers and a sister to provide for.