Thomas Ridge (c. 1671–1730), of Portsmouth, Hampshire, was a British brewer, merchant and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1708 and 1727.
Ridge's business interests made him one of the most prominent townsmen and he hosted the Queen of Portugal when she visited Portsmouth in 1708.
[1] At the 1708 British general election Ridge was put up for Parliament at Poole by the local Whigs, with the support of the 2nd Duke of Bolton.
With the change of administration in Parliament, the ‘worthy patriots’ of the Tory Party investigated the mismanagements of the previous ministry and uncovered irregularities in the activities of brewers supplying the navy, including Ridge, and found frauds amounting to £55,435.
His eldest son, Thomas was left the brewing stores, buildings and equipment, while his other children were given the rest of his real estate, including tenements in Portsmouth and farms in Sussex and Hampshire.