Riddleston Family History

The name is a variant of Riddlesden with -don or -ton substituted for -den. An alternative variant in Suffolk is Riddlesdal(l)e (see Riddlesdell); for comparison, Elizabeth Riddlesdale is noted in 1596 in IGI (Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk) and John Riddlesdale of Polstead (Suffolk) appears in 1664 in TNA (Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk), along with bearers from 1757, 1778, and 1847 mentioned below.

This name may possibly derive from Riddistone in Winkleigh (Devon), which was recorded as Redelestun al. Ridelestun in 120. The place-name is comprised of an Old English personal name, either Rēðel or Hrēðel in the genitive case, combined with Old English tūn, meaning ‘farmstead’.

However, since no medieval evidence has been found for the surname in Devon and Cornwall, it remains a possibility that the name arrived there through early modern migration. This suggests it may be identical to the variant mentioned in the first instance.