Orlando George Charles Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford, PC, DL (24 April 1819 – 12 March 1898), styled Viscount Newport between 1825 and 1865, was a British courtier and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician. In a ministerial career spanning over thirty years, he notably served as

Lord Chamberlain of the Household Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

between 1866 and 1868 and as

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

between 1874 and 1880 and again between 1885 and 1886.

Background and education

Bridgeman was born at Nottingham Place,

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it ...

, London, the eldest son of

George Bridgeman, 2nd Earl of Bradford George Augustus Frederick Henry Bridgeman, 2nd Earl of Bradford (23 October 1789 – 22 March 1865), styled Viscount Newport from 1815 to 1825, was a British peer. The oldest son of Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Earl of Bradford, and Lucy Elizabeth B ...

, and his wife Georgina Elizabeth Moncreiffe, daughter of Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, 5th Baronet.thepeerage.com Orlando George Charles Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford
/ref> He was educated at Harrow and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

. He became known by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some con ...

Viscount Newport when his father succeeded in the earldom of Bradford in 1825.

Political career

Lord Newport was elected Member of Parliament for Shropshire South in 1842. In February 1852, he was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household in

Lord Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869, known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley) was a British statesman, three-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ...

's first administration, a post he held until the fall of the government in December of the same year, and again from 1858 to 1859 in Derby's second administration. He was admitted to the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

in 1852. In 1865, he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

. When Derby became prime minister for the third time in 1866, Lord Bradford was made

, an office he retained until December 1868, the last year under the premiership of

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation ...

. He again served under Disraeli as

between 1874 and 1880 and held the same office from 1885 to 1886 in Lord Salisbury's first administration. Apart from his political career, Lord Bradford was a Deputy Lieutenant of

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands C ...

and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire between 1875 and 1896. He served in the North Shropshire Yeomanry Cavalry, beginning as cornet in 1839, promoted captain in 1844, and resigning in 1869. He was also an Honorary

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

in the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the

Shropshire Light Infantry The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. In 196 ...

Sport interests

Lord Bradford was a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse owner, with colours of white, scarlet sleeves, and a black cap borne by his jockeys. He won the

Cesarewitch The Cesarewitch Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newmarket over a distance of 2 miles and 2 furlongs (3,621 metres ...

at Newmarket in 1865 with Salpinctes and, in 1879, with Chippendale who came second in two successive races for the same cup. He ultimately won the 1892

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

with

Sir Hugo Sir Hugo (1889–1910) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1891 to 1894 he ran eight times and won three races. As a three-year-old in 1892 he won The Derby at odds of 40/1. He was a consistent perf ...

. Invited by

William Penny Brookes William Penny Brookes (13 August 1809 – 11 December 1895) was an English surgeon, magistrate, botanist, and educationalist especially known for founding the Wenlock Olympian Games, inspiring the modern Olympic Games, and for his promotion of p ...

, he was President of the

Wenlock Olympian Society The Wenlock Olympian Games, dating from 1850, are a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games. They are organised by the Wenlock Olympian Society (WOS), and are held each year at venues across Shropshire, England, centred on the little market town o ...

in 1874, when

Much Wenlock Much Wenlock is a market town and parish in Shropshire, England, situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new town of Telford. The civil parish includes the villa ...

hosted the National Olympian Games.

Family

'Margaret, the Countess of Bradford', painting by Edward Clifford, Bridgeman Art Library

Lord Bradford married the Honourable Selina Weld-Forester, daughter of

Cecil Weld-Forester, 1st Baron Forester Cecil Weld-Forester, 1st Baron Forester (baptised 7 April 1767 – 23 May 1828) was a Tory British Member of Parliament and later peer. Biography Born Cecil Forester and baptised at St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury, Editors Vicary Gibbs and H. A. D ...

, on 20 April 1844. They had four children: *Lady Mabel Selina Bridgeman (d. 1933), married Colonel

William Kenyon-Slaney William Slaney Kenyon-Slaney PC (24 August 1847 – 24 April 1908) was an English sportsman, soldier and politician. Biography Kenyon-Slaney was born in Rajkot in Gujarat in British India, the son of Captain William Kenyon of the 2nd Bombay Cav ...

on 22 February 1887. * Lady Florence Katharine Bridgeman (1859–1943), married the 5th Earl of Harewood on 5 November 1881. * George Cecil Orlando Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford (1845–1915). *Brigadier Hon. Francis Charles Bridgeman (1846–1917). The Countess was noted for "intelligence, gaiety and sympathy".

was deeply attached to both Lady Bradford and her sister Anne, Countess of Chesterfield. After his wife's death in 1872, his feelings seem to have become even warmer and it has been suggested that he would have proposed marriage had Lady Bradford been free to marry.Pearson p,243 The Countess of Bradford died in November 1894. Lord Bradford died after a long illness at

Weston Park Weston Park is a country house in Weston-under-Lizard, Staffordshire, England, set in more than of park landscaped by Capability Brown. The park is located north-west of Wolverhampton, and north-east of Telford, close to the border with Shrop ...

, Staffordshire, in March 1898, aged 78. He was buried on 12 March 1898 at

Weston-under-Lizard Weston-under-Lizard is a village in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It constitutes a civil parish with Blymhill, called Blymhill and Weston-under-Lizard. It is known as Weston-under-Lizard (the name of a hill in near ...

. His eldest son George succeeded in the earldom.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl Of 1819 births 1898 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 3 Lord-Lieutenants of Shropshire Shropshire Yeomanry officers Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Newport, Orlando Bridgeman, Viscount Newport, Orlando Bridgeman, Viscount Newport, Orlando Bridgeman, Viscount Newport, Orlando Bridgeman, Viscount Newport, Orlando Bridgeman, Viscount Newport, Orlando Bridgeman, Viscount Bradford, E3 British racehorse owners and breeders Owners of Epsom Derby winners

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

People educated at Harrow School