Robert Blackwood Ritchie was born in Scotland in 1861 – the first son of Daniel Ritchie and Janet Roy. After the completion of his education in Scotland, he settled in Australia in order to run the Blackwood property becoming a member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Western Province between 1903 and 1907. Robert had two children – Robert (Robin) Blackwood Ritchie and Alan Blackwood Ritchie who he sent back to Scotland to be educated. He also resettled in Scotland in order to look after them passing on full responsibility for Blackwood to the farm manager Charles Coldham. Tragically, his eldest son Robin was killed fighting in France during World War 1. Following Robin’s death, he sold Blackwood (although the property was to later come back into family hands). He also made a donation of 30,000 pounds (in memory of Robin) to the University of Melbourne in 1927 for the establishment of a Chair of Economics and contributed 2,200 pounds to the establishment of a Penshurst Mechanics Hall. He died in Scotland in 1937.

View Records