On the basis of the regional portrait drescribed here, Thomas Ridley easily ranks among the most famous outport merchants of Newfoundland and Labrador in the 19th century. The scale and diversity of his economic activities can be compared to those of several other merchants and businesses in the outports or in St. John’s. The commercial success of some of these merchants, especially John Rorke, John Munn, Robert Pack and Edwin Duder is also very similar to that of Thomas Ridley and his business. As for political involvement, many merchants have a record just as significant as Thomas Ridley’s, including John Rorke, John Munn and Thomas Bulley Job. However, while Pack and Job were actively involved in the introduction of representative government and the first elections of the 1830s, Thomas Ridley is a more representative voice for the radical conservatives, particularly in the outports. Finally, most merchants were personally very involved in their communities and served in various official positions, which enabled them to contribute significantly to the development of the outports.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 12:58:39 +0000
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