He was born at Kirkcaldy, Fife, and at an early age went in service to a small farmer near Largo.

In around 1800 he moved to Edinburgh (where his younger brother William was training in the law), and established himself as a draper.

In addition to his newspaper activities, Ritchie was a town councillor in Edinburgh, a magistrate, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and one of the founders of the United Industrial School.

They are buried in the same family plot at the south end of "Lords Row" on the western wall of Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh.

[7] One of his longer works, its contains a versified posthumous conversation between Lord Palmerston and the late Prince Consort, surveying the state of England.