Samuel Ryder
Encyclopedia
Samuel Ryder was an English
businessman, entrepreneur
, golf
enthusiast, and golf promoter. He originated the idea of selling garden seed
s in "penny packets" and built a very successful business on the concept. After funding an international golf competition in 1926, he sponsored the Ryder Cup
, donating a gold trophy for the first biennial golf championship between the best professional golfers in the United States
and the United Kingdom
in 1927. The Ryder Cup has developed into golf's most important team competition.
near Preston, Lancashire. He was the fourth of the eight children of Samuel Ryder Sr. (1823/4–1904), a gardener, and Elizabeth (née Martin) (1822/3–1904), a dressmaker. He had three elder and two younger sisters, and two younger brothers. He trained as a teacher
at Owens College in Manchester
(now Manchester University), but did not graduate due to ill health. Ryder first worked at a shipping firm in Manchester, and then for his father, whose business has expanded to include a Nursery
, florist, and seed merchant
. Friction with his father led Ryder to move south to London
to join a rival seed merchant. Ryder married Helen Mary (née Barnard), known as Nellie, on 20 November 1890. Their two daughters, Marjorie and Joan, were born in 1893 and 1896.
each. Other seed merchants also made postal sales, but their packets were much more expensive. He started selling from his home in St Albans
, which had good mainline railway
connections. He kept his stock in the garden shed of his terraced house on Folly Lane, and was assisted by his wife and daughter. The packets would be posted each Friday so that his customers, working men, would receive them for their time off on Saturday afternoons. The business grew rapidly and Ryder became wealthy. Eventually, the business moved to a large packaging workshop on Holywell Hill, employing around 100 staff. The art deco seed hall is now a Café Rouge
restaurant. He established a separate herb business, Heath and Heather, with his brother James in 1922 (which eventually became part of Holland & Barrett
). In 1924, the company moved to a former hat factory, which had a floor area of some 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²).
. He had been a Sunday school
teacher in Sale
in his youth, and became president of the Mid-Hertfordshire
Sunday School Union in 1911. He joined the Independent Chapel in Spicer Street in 1895, the only Congregational Church
in St Albans at that time. He assisted the minister, Rev. William Carson, to persuade the church deacons to build a new and larger Congregational church building - Trinity - on the corner of Beaconsfield Road and Victoria Street. When the new church opened on 8 October 1903, there was a civic procession and service at the church. Despite this, there was a significant divide between the Anglicans (Church of England
) and the Non-Conformists, which was accentuated in St Albans - adherents of each denomination would not trade with the other. Ryder was a Deacon
at Trinity Congregational Church (now Trinity United Reformed Church
) until he resigned in 1922.
. He was Mayor
of St Albans in 1905, and remained a councillor
until 1916. When elected Mayor in 1905, he surprised his fellow councillors by a tough and uncomplimentary assessment of Council's lack of achievement.
in his early life, but seems to have played little sport in adult life until he was 50 years old. After a period of ill health in 1908, Ryder's friend Frank Wheeler, preacher at Trinity Congregational Church, suggested that Ryder take up golf as a way to get more fresh air. He became an enthusiastic amateur, quickly securing a single-figure handicap and joining Verulam Golf Club, where he served on the greens committee for 20 years. He made large donations to the club, and was appointed captain in 1911, 1926 and 1927. He was also captain of the Stratford-on-Avon Golf Club in 1929 and 1930.
When Ryder took his family to Dorset
for their annual summer holidays, he played golf at Came Down Golf Club. There he met the Whitcombe brothers - Ernest, Charles
and Reg
- and was impressed by their brilliant play. He asked Ernest if they ever played in important tournaments like The Open Championship
. Ernest said "No" as he could not afford it, and went on to say "The Americans come over here smartly dressed and backed by wealthy supporters; the Britisher has a poor chance compared to that". Ryder considered that something vital was required to rouse clubs to take a real interest and responsibility in encouraging young professionals of talent like the Whitcombe brothers.
. The trophy was valued at 100 guineas and manufactured by the well-known firm of Mappin and Webb
. An informal 1926 match held at Wentworth Club
between teams of professionals from Great Britain and the USA served as the impetus for the first official match for the Ryder Cup, staged at Worcester Country Club
in Massachusetts
, USA during June 1927. The format, which is still used today, consists of competition staged in alternate years, with the two sides taking turns as hosts. Ryder attended the first two home matches played at Moortown
and Southport
in 1929 and 1933 respectively, being especially pleased to present the cup to Britain's successful captain George Duncan
in 1929.
and with his elder daughter Marjorie in Rhodesia
, where she had emigrated. He died at the Langham Hotel in Portland Place
, London, the family's traditional Christmas holiday residence. After a funeral at Trinity Congregational Church in St Albans, he was buried in Hatfield Road Cemetery. His younger daughter Joan took over the management of his companies after his death.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
businessman, entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
enthusiast, and golf promoter. He originated the idea of selling garden seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s in "penny packets" and built a very successful business on the concept. After funding an international golf competition in 1926, he sponsored the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
, donating a gold trophy for the first biennial golf championship between the best professional golfers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1927. The Ryder Cup has developed into golf's most important team competition.
Early life
Ryder was born at Walton-le-DaleWalton-le-Dale
Walton-le-Dale is a village in the Borough of South Ribble, in Lancashire, England. It lies on south bank of the River Ribble, and the south-side of the city of Preston, adjacent to Bamber Bridge.-Toponymy:...
near Preston, Lancashire. He was the fourth of the eight children of Samuel Ryder Sr. (1823/4–1904), a gardener, and Elizabeth (née Martin) (1822/3–1904), a dressmaker. He had three elder and two younger sisters, and two younger brothers. He trained as a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
at Owens College in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
(now Manchester University), but did not graduate due to ill health. Ryder first worked at a shipping firm in Manchester, and then for his father, whose business has expanded to include a Nursery
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
, florist, and seed merchant
Seed company
Seed companies produce and sell seeds for flowers, fruit and vegetables to theamateur gardener. The production of seed is a multi billion dollar business, which usesgrowing facilities and growing locations world wide. While most seed is produced by large...
. Friction with his father led Ryder to move south to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to join a rival seed merchant. Ryder married Helen Mary (née Barnard), known as Nellie, on 20 November 1890. Their two daughters, Marjorie and Joan, were born in 1893 and 1896.
Business career
In the 1890s, Samuel Ryder started to sell packets of seeds through the post, priced at one pennyPenny
A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
each. Other seed merchants also made postal sales, but their packets were much more expensive. He started selling from his home in St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, which had good mainline railway
Main line (railway)
The Mainline or Main line of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected....
connections. He kept his stock in the garden shed of his terraced house on Folly Lane, and was assisted by his wife and daughter. The packets would be posted each Friday so that his customers, working men, would receive them for their time off on Saturday afternoons. The business grew rapidly and Ryder became wealthy. Eventually, the business moved to a large packaging workshop on Holywell Hill, employing around 100 staff. The art deco seed hall is now a Café Rouge
Café Rouge
Café Rouge is a French-styled restaurant chain in the UK, offering an all-day serving of main course meals, lighter snacks and salads as well as an extensive wine list. It is part of a bigger restaurant network owned by Tragus Ltd.-History:...
restaurant. He established a separate herb business, Heath and Heather, with his brother James in 1922 (which eventually became part of Holland & Barrett
Holland & Barrett
Holland & Barrett is a chain of health food shops with over 600 stores in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Singapore and Malta. The company also has stores in The Netherlands, where they trade as "De Tuinen".-Ownership:...
). In 1924, the company moved to a former hat factory, which had a floor area of some 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²).
Church involvement
Ryder was a committed ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
. He had been a Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
teacher in Sale
Sale, Greater Manchester
Sale is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, the town lies on flat ground on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of the city of Manchester...
in his youth, and became president of the Mid-Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
Sunday School Union in 1911. He joined the Independent Chapel in Spicer Street in 1895, the only Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
in St Albans at that time. He assisted the minister, Rev. William Carson, to persuade the church deacons to build a new and larger Congregational church building - Trinity - on the corner of Beaconsfield Road and Victoria Street. When the new church opened on 8 October 1903, there was a civic procession and service at the church. Despite this, there was a significant divide between the Anglicans (Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) and the Non-Conformists, which was accentuated in St Albans - adherents of each denomination would not trade with the other. Ryder was a Deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
at Trinity Congregational Church (now Trinity United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
) until he resigned in 1922.
Political career
Ryder was elected to the St Albans town council in 1903, as a LiberalLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
. He was Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of St Albans in 1905, and remained a councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
until 1916. When elected Mayor in 1905, he surprised his fellow councillors by a tough and uncomplimentary assessment of Council's lack of achievement.
Golf
Ryder enjoyed cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
in his early life, but seems to have played little sport in adult life until he was 50 years old. After a period of ill health in 1908, Ryder's friend Frank Wheeler, preacher at Trinity Congregational Church, suggested that Ryder take up golf as a way to get more fresh air. He became an enthusiastic amateur, quickly securing a single-figure handicap and joining Verulam Golf Club, where he served on the greens committee for 20 years. He made large donations to the club, and was appointed captain in 1911, 1926 and 1927. He was also captain of the Stratford-on-Avon Golf Club in 1929 and 1930.
When Ryder took his family to Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
for their annual summer holidays, he played golf at Came Down Golf Club. There he met the Whitcombe brothers - Ernest, Charles
Charles Whitcombe
Charles Whitcombe was the second of the three Whitcombe brothers who were all successful English professional golfers in the 1920s and 1930s and - despite never winning The Open Championship like his younger brother Reg - could be considered the most prominent of the three, winning the British PGA...
and Reg
Reg Whitcombe
Reginald Arthur Whitcombe was an English professional golfer.Whitcombe began his career at Came Down Golf Club in Dorset and served in the British armed forces during World War I. He was the professional at Parkstone Golf Club from 1 January 1928 until his death in 1957...
- and was impressed by their brilliant play. He asked Ernest if they ever played in important tournaments like The Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
. Ernest said "No" as he could not afford it, and went on to say "The Americans come over here smartly dressed and backed by wealthy supporters; the Britisher has a poor chance compared to that". Ryder considered that something vital was required to rouse clubs to take a real interest and responsibility in encouraging young professionals of talent like the Whitcombe brothers.
Ryder Cup
Over the following few years Ryder expanded this idea with sponsorship of a succession of tournaments and challenge matches that ultimately resulted in his donation of the famous Ryder CupRyder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
. The trophy was valued at 100 guineas and manufactured by the well-known firm of Mappin and Webb
Mappin and Webb
Mappin & Webb is a company originally founded in Sheffield, England. The company is a noted firm of Silversmiths and formerly cutlery manufactures with roots back to 1774 when Joseph Mappin founded the firm. The company is now a retail jeweller, and Royal Warrant holder.-Arundel & Mappin:The firm...
. An informal 1926 match held at Wentworth Club
Wentworth Club
Wentworth Club is a privately owned golf club and health resort in Virginia Water, Surrey on the south western fringes of London, not far from Windsor Castle. The club was founded in 1926.-History:...
between teams of professionals from Great Britain and the USA served as the impetus for the first official match for the Ryder Cup, staged at Worcester Country Club
Worcester Country Club
Worcester Country Club is a golf course in Worcester, Massachusetts. The course hosted the first Ryder Cup in 1927, and was the site of the 1925 U.S. Open, which was won by Willie Macfarlane. It is the only golf course in the United States to host all three events: the Men's and Women's U.S. Open...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA during June 1927. The format, which is still used today, consists of competition staged in alternate years, with the two sides taking turns as hosts. Ryder attended the first two home matches played at Moortown
Moortown Golf Club
Moortown Golf Club is a golf club located in Alwoodley, near Leeds, England. It was founded in 1909, and the championship golf course was designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie.Moortown hosted the Ryder Cup in 1929....
and Southport
Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club
Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club is situated near the Merseyside towns of Southport and Ainsdale on the north west coast of England, not far north of the city of Liverpool. It has a single 18-hole course set amongst ranges of tall sandhills and smaller sand dunes.It was founded in 1906 and hosted...
in 1929 and 1933 respectively, being especially pleased to present the cup to Britain's successful captain George Duncan
George Duncan (golfer)
George Duncan was a Scottish professional golfer.Duncan was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire. He was first apprenticed as a carpenter and rejected a chance to become a professional footballer at Aberdeen to become a golf professional...
in 1929.
Later life
Ryder suffered from poor health in later life, and spent some time in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and with his elder daughter Marjorie in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, where she had emigrated. He died at the Langham Hotel in Portland Place
Portland Place
Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London, England.-History and topography:The street was laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam for the Duke of Portland in the late 18th century and originally ran north from the gardens of a detached mansion called Foley House...
, London, the family's traditional Christmas holiday residence. After a funeral at Trinity Congregational Church in St Albans, he was buried in Hatfield Road Cemetery. His younger daughter Joan took over the management of his companies after his death.
External links
. BBC News, September 13, 1999. Accessed February 19, 2007.- Samuel Ryder. Golf Online. Accessed February 19, 2007.
- History of Verulam Golf Club, St Albans
- History of Trinity URC, St Albans
- History of the Independent Chapel, Spicer Street, St Albans
- Wray Vamplew, Ryder, Samuel (1858–1936), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edition, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, October 2007; accessed 17 September 2008. - Peter Fry's Biography of Samuel Ryder Samuel Ryder - The Man Behind the Ryder Cup