Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 50.djvu/62

 the ‘Anatomist,’ Lissardo in the ‘Wonder,’ Colonel Feignwell in ‘A Bold Stroke for a Wife,’ Hob in ‘Hob in the Well,’ Trim in the ‘Funeral,’ Tom in the ‘Conscious Lovers,’ Lady Pentweazle in ‘Lady Pentweazle in Town,’ General Savage in the ‘School for Wives,’ Drunken Colonel in the ‘Intriguing Chambermaid,’ Captain Ironside in the ‘Brothers,’ Sir Harry's Servant in ‘High Life below Stairs,’ Lovegold in the ‘Miser,’ and played an original part, unnamed, in ‘Bonds without Judgment,’ attributed to Topham, and Sebastian in Mrs. Inchbald's ‘Midnight Hour,’ on 22 May 1787. These parts indicate to some extent what must have been his Dublin répertoire, where, however, he also played Richard III, Scrub, Macheath, Wolsey, Pierre, and other parts. At Covent Garden, with one summer visit to the Haymarket, he remained until his death. He was seen as Iago, Duretête in the ‘Inconstant,’ Heartwell in the ‘Old Bachelor,’ Bailiff in the ‘Good-natured Man,’ Shylock, Beau Clincher, Peachum, Don Jerome in the ‘Duenna,’ Lopez in ‘Lovers' Quarrels,’ Old Hardcastle, Major Benbow in the ‘Flitch of Bacon,’ Leon, Sir Tunbelly Clumsy in the ‘Man of Quality,’ Darby in the ‘Poor Soldier,’ with other characters; and at the Haymarket, where he made as Shylock his first appearance on 22 June 1790, as Sidney, an original character in a farce called ‘Try Again,’ Don Lopez, an original part in Scawen's two-act opera, ‘New Spain, or Love in Mexico,’ and the Marquis de Champlain (also original) in O'Keeffe's ‘Basket Maker.’ The principal original parts he played at Covent Garden were Carty in O'Keeffe's ‘Tantarara Rogues All’ on 1 March 1768, Duke Murcia in Mrs. Inchbald's ‘Child of Nature’ on 28 Nov., and Hector in O'Keeffe's ‘Pharo Table,’ on 4 April 1789.

On 19 Nov. 1790 he played Old Groveby in the ‘Maid of the Oaks.’ A week later (26 Nov. 1790) he died at Sandymount, Dublin, and was buried in the churchyard of Drumcondra. Portraits of Ryder, painted by Martin (afterwards Sir Martin) Archer Shee and S. Harding, were engraved respectively by J. Ford and W. Gardiner.

Ryder was a diligent and versatile actor, seen at his best in low comedy, in which, however, he had in England to sustain formidable rivalry. Two daughters were for a short time on the stage at Covent Garden, appearing respectively, Miss Ryder as Estifania and Miss R. Ryder as Leonora to their father's Leon in ‘Rule a Wife and have a Wife,’ on 16 April 1790. Ryder's son, who was in the army, was killed in 1796 in a duel. Ryder was responsible for two plays: ‘Like Master Like Man,’ a farce, 12mo, Dublin, 1770; this is simply a reduction to two acts of Vanbrugh's ‘Mistake,’ itself derived from ‘Le Dépit Amoureux,’ and was doubtless played in Dublin and brought over to England by Reddish, who played it at Drury Lane on 12 April 1768; it was revived at Drury Lane on 30 March 1773. His second piece, ‘Such Things have been,’ a two-act comedy taken from Jackman's ‘Man of Parts,’ was played by Ryder for his benefit at Covent Garden on 31 March 1789, and was printed.

[Hitchcock's Irish Stage; Genest's Account of the English Stage; The Thespian Dictionary; Gilliland's Dramatic Mirror, the account in which is copied into the Biographia Dramatica; Wilkinson's Memoirs and Wandering Patentee; Georgian Era, and History of the Dublin Stage, 1870.] 

RYDER, THOMAS (1746–1810), engraver, born in 1746, was a pupil of James Basire [see under ], and during his apprenticeship established drawings with the Free Society in 1766 and 1767. He was also one of the first students in the schools of the Royal Academy. Ryder engraved a few plates in the line manner, of which the most important are ‘The Politician’ (a portrait of Benjamin Franklin), after S. Elmer, 1782; and ‘Vortigern and Rowena,’ after A. Kauffman, 1802; but he is best known by his works in stipple, which are among the finest of their class. These include ‘The Last Supper,’ after Benjamin West; ‘The Murder of James I of Scotland,’ after Opie; ‘Prudence and Beauty,’ after A. Kauffman; nine of the plates to the large edition of Boydell's ‘Shakspeare;’ and others from designs by Bigg, Bunbury, Cipriani, Cosway, Ryley, and Shelley. Ryder also engraved portraits of Mrs. Damer, after Kauffman; Henry Bunbury, after Lawrence; Sir William Watson, M.D., after Abbot; and Maria Linley, after Westall. His plates are usually printed in brown ink and occasionally in colours. He had a son of the same christian name who was also an engraver, and together they executed the whole-length portrait of Queen Charlotte, after Beechey, prefixed to the second volume of Boydell's ‘Shakspeare.’ Ryder died in 1810.

[Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Dodd's Memoirs of English Engravers (Brit. Mus. Addit. MS. 33404); Free Society Catalogues.] 

RYDER or RITHER, WILLIAM (1544?–1611), lord mayor of London, born about 1544, was grandson of Thomas Ryther of Lynstead in Kent, and son of Thomas Ryther or Ryder of Mucklestone, Stafford-