His father was reportedly an associate of the Scottish poets James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, who would occasionally visit their household and recite his own poetry to the children, and Walter Scott, as well as Sir Pulteney Malcolm.

In 1817, following the death of his father, Riddell began attending the parish school in nearby Biggar, where he met Eliza Clark, the daughter of a local merchant whom he later married.

While at Biggar school Riddell was a contributor to the ‘Clydesdale Magazine’ and wrote ‘The Crook and Plaid,’ one of his most successful songs inspired by a trip to Pinkie Cleugh, near Musselburgh, East Lothian.

Due to the distance and oftentimes bad weather, the commute and conditions were often difficult for Riddell and he was once described as preaching while water dripped from his sleeves onto his bible.

Walter Scott Riddell was born in 1835 and eventually worked for The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, moving to Hong Kong, China.

He lived a quiet existence, occasionally lecturing in Hawick or the surrounding area, but largely focusing on improving his house and property, or his literary work.

A visit to Pinkie, Midlothian, in his student days inspired the vigorous lyric ‘Ours is the Land of Gallant Hearts.’ He contributed pieces about the same time to the collections of Robert Archibald Smith and Peter McLeod, the latter publishing his picturesque song, ‘Scotland Yet.’ Wilson included, with hearty commendation, in the ‘Noctes Ambrosianæ’ for March 1825, Riddell's lyric, ‘When the Glen all is still.’ Riddell published in 1831 ‘Songs of the Ark,’ sacred pieces which are not of much account.

for an ‘Essay on Foot-rot in Sheep.’ In 1871, the year after his death, appeared, in two volumes, ‘The Poetical Works of Henry Scott Riddell,’ edited, with a memoir, by Dr. Brydon.

Riddell's longer pieces, while ingenious, tend to heaviness, but one or two of his lyrics reach a high standard, and ‘Scotland Yet,’ set to very appropriate music, is one of the most popular of Scottish songs.