Lawrence Bridger (abt. 1550 - aft. 1630)

Born about 1550 in Godalming, Surrey, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died after 24 Sep 1630 after about age 80 in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England [uncertain]

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Biography

It is estimated that Lawrence was born in 1550 at Godalming and entered Oxford in 1568 where he was, elected a fellow of Magdalen College before receiving his BA in 1570, and then an MA in 1577. He was recommended to the office of Rector and Clerk of Slimbridge by the President of Magdalen with the approval of the Bishop of Gloucester. He was invested with the office by Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle on 11 Oct 1577. In 1586 Lawrence was installed as a Prebend of the 3rd stall at Gloucester Cathedral, a post which he held until resigning in 1625. ^{[citation needed]}

John Smyth (1567 - 1640), a steward to the Berkeleys, wrote that he sold Gossington Hall to Lawrence Bridger, clerke parson of Slimbridge, with 60 acres of land. Smyth also wrote that Lawrence was one of 'the persons charged to finde horses for the trayned band under Sir Gabriell Lowe, Knight, and Captaine of Dragoons of Berkeley Hundred in Anno 1626.'^[1] In what is a rather nice epitaph Smyth also said that Lawrence died 'a very rich and honest man.'^[2]

Lawrence married twice but died in 1630 a widower. In his will he makes bequests to nine children, Samuel, Lawrence, Joseph, Benjamin, Arthur, Elizabeth, Faith, Mary, and Anne with Samuel being the eldest son by his first wife and Joseph the eldest by his second wife, neither wife having so far been identified.

His favorite son, Joseph, was the eldest from the second marriage. To son Joseph he willed the Gossington Estate.

The eldest son by the first wife was Samuel. Samuel received other lands and a stern admonition from his father written into the will:

"If my son Samuel shall lay any claim or pretend any right unto any lands given to Joseph that all land I have given him (Samuel) shall return to my son Joseph and his heirs forever." Lawrence Bridger's will was dated 24 Sept 1630, probated 30 June 1631

On June 30th 1996 a new window in the North wall of the chancel and adjacent to the altar of St. John the Evangelist Church in Slimbridge was dedicated in memory of Lawrence Bridger who was Rector 1577 - 1630. The Dean of Chapel and choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, took part in the service. The window, which incorporates the Bridger coat of arms (' ar, a cheveron engraved, sa, between three crabs, gu.') was made possible by the generosity of American descendants, several of whom attended the ceremony. Refer also to: Find A Grave: Memorial #82382236.

Sources

1. ↑ Smyth, John. MacLean, Sir John, ed. The Berkeley Manuscripts: The lives of the Berkeleys, lords of the honour, castle and manor of Berkeley, in the county of Gloucester, from 1066 to 1618. Vol 3. 1883, p. 203. Gloucester: John Bellows for the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society.
2. ↑ See also: Boddie, John Bennett. Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County of Isle of Wight, Virginia, During the Seventeenth Century, Including Abstracts of the County Records. 1938, p. 409-10. Chicago: John Bennett Boddie III. (2003: Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company).

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Patsy Franklin for creating WikiTree profile Bridger-183 through the import of Franklin DAR_2013-03-11.ged on 12 Mar 2013.
• Thank you to Graham Oliver for creating WikiTree profile Bridger-219 through the import of WikiTree.ged on 16 Aug 2013.

Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Patsy, Graham and others.