William Bridges was born on 28 September 1658 in the parish of Pilton, Somerset, England, the seventh of eight children of Sir Thomas Bridges and his wife Lady Anne Bridges. He was born during the Commonwealth when the Church of England was no longer the Established Church, and the Pilton parish register recorded births instead of baptisms: [1]
William the sonne of Sr: Thomas Bridgges was borne September ye 28 1656
His father, Sir Thomas Bridges had been the Royalist Governor of the City of Bath during the Civil War, and the Parliamentarians subsequently confiscated his lands.
Sometime after 17 February 1681/2, William married Dame Anne Boughton, the widow of Sir Edward Boughton, 2nd Baron Boughton of Little Lawford, Gloucestershire. The transcript of the marriage licence issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury's Office states that he was 23 years old, but he was actually 25 years old: [2]
[1681/2] Feb 17 William Bridges of St Andrew, Holborn, Lond., Esq., Bachr, abt 23, & Dame Anne Boughton of the same, Wid., abt 30; at St Andrew's aforesaid or [blank]
In the same year that they married, William and Anne (referred to as William Bridges and Dame Anne Bridges) were defendants in a case in Chancery brought by Anne's former brother in law, Sir William Boughton Bt in relation to Anne's late husband's estate. [3]
William and Anne had one child, a daughter named Anne, who was to be the heiress to her grandfather Sir John Heydon, the past Governor of Bermuda. She was baptised at the church of St Michael, Coventry, Warwickshire on 13 February 1684/5. [4]
William died on 10 March 1684/5 aged 29 years, a month after his daughter was baptised, leaving his wife Anne a widow for the second time. [5] He was buried at the church of St John the Baptist, Keynsham, Somerset (as he requested in his will) on 15 March 1684/5. [6]
[Floor stone under the Communion table] "Here lyeth the body of William Bridges Esq: sonne of Sir Thomas Bridges and Anne his wife, who dyed the 10th day of March 1684. Anna Powell, daughter of Sir Thomas Bridges, departed this life the 18th of March 1740"
William's will (with inventory attached) was proved at the Court of the Diocese of Litchfield and Coventry on 30 March 1685. [7] [8] He left his entire estate to his wife the Lady Anne Boughton who he made his executor. A transcription of the will and inventory is here.
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Categories: Keynsham, Somerset | Coventry, Warwickshire | Pilton, Somerset