John Bridgeman (2 November 1577 – 11 November 1652) was an English Anglican clergyman. Born in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, he was the eldest son of Thomas Bridgeman and grandson of Edward Bridgeman. He was educated at

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

, where he graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

, and then at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, receiving there a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

. Bridgeman became rector of

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

in 1615 and also of Bangor in 1621. Two years before, he had been consecrated

Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the ...

, a post he held until the abolition of episcopacy in 1646. In 1633 Bridgeman was subject to a royal commission of enquiry led by

Thomas Canon Sir Thomas Canon (born 1567) was a Welsh antiquarian and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1625 to 1629. Canon was the son of John Canon of Kilgetty. He matriculated at Jesus College, Oxford on 5 February 1585, at the age of 17. H ...

following complaints to the privy council that Bridgeman had embezzled fines taken for commuting penances.Papers for Sir Thomas Canon’s enquiry of 1633; Staffordshire Record Office D1287/18/2 During his tenure, he initialised suspensions against the

puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

s Thomas Paget, John Angier and Samuel Eaton. He was deprived of his See by Parliament on 9 October 1646, as episcopacy was abolished for the duration of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

and the

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

. On 29 April 1606, he married Elizabeth Helyar, daughter of Reverend William Helyar, and had by her five sons. Bridgeman died at Moreton, Shropshire and was buried at

Kinnerley Kinnerley (historic Welsh name: ''Generdinlle'') is a small village in Shropshire, England. It lies between the neighbouring villages of Dovaston and Pentre and the nearest town is Oswestry. To the north is the village of Knockin. History A ...

. His oldest son

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

was a judge and baronet and his third son Henry Bridgeman a bishop. John Bridgeman Escutcheon

References

1577 births 1652 deaths Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Bishops of Chester 17th-century English Anglican priests

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

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