J. Ewing (James Ewing) Ritchie

Born in Wrentham, Suffolk, in 1820, James Ewing Ritchie was an English journalist and writer. He was the son of the Congregational minister Andrew Ritchie, studied at Coward College and University College London, and then moved into journalism.

Ritchie edited and owned periodicals including The Principality and The Illustrated News of the World. He went on to write travel books, political biographies, and several books about nineteenth-century London, becoming especially known for his curiosity about the city's everyday life and overlooked corners.

He also wrote under the pseudonym Christopher Crayon. His long career left behind a wide range of nonfiction, from social sketches to biographical and historical works, and he remains of interest to readers drawn to Victorian London and nineteenth-century journalism.