John Bridgeman (2 November 1577 – 11 November 1652) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Anglican clergyman. Born in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, 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 ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) 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. Tho ...

, and then at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, receiving there a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

. Bridgeman became rector of

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

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 C ...

, 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 purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

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. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

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 m ...

. 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 ( Welsh: ''Chen-ar-dinlle'') 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 mile to th ...

. His oldest son

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 rele ...

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 clergy

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 * Secon ...

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