Richard Brydges (1500–1558) 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 ...

politician. Sir Richard Brydges was the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

from 1539 to 1540 and, at other times, for Ludgershall. The Brydges family leased and then owned the manor of Ludgershall in Wiltshire for much of the sixteenth century. Richard was the son of Henry Brydges (or Bruges), Esq., of Newbury,

by his wife, Margery (Hungerford) Bedford, daughter of John Hungerford, Esq. Richard was also a first cousin to

John Brydges, 1st Baron Chandos John Brydges, 1st Baron Chandos (9 March 1492 – 12 April 1557) was an English courtier, Member of Parliament and later peer. His last name is also sometimes spelt Brugge or Bruges. He was a prominent figure at the English court during the r ...

. He served as the

High Sheriff of Berkshire The High Sheriff of Berkshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'. The title of High Sheriff is therefore much older ...

in 1554.

Family

He married twice, firstly to a granddaughter of

William Norreys Sir William Norreys (c. 1441 – before 10 January 1507) was a famous Lancastrian soldier, and later an Esquire of the Body to King Edward IV. Probably born at Yattendon Castle, William was the eldest son of Sir John Norreys of Ockwells and ...

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

of the Body to

King Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...

, and secondly to Lady Jane Spencer, the daughter of Sir William Spencer (1483–1558) of

Wormleighton Wormleighton is a village in Warwickshire on top of Wormleighton Hill overlooking the River Cherwell, England. The population taken at the 2011 census was 183. The original village was by the banks of the Cherwell and can still be seen as a ...

Althorp Althorp (popularly pronounced ) is a Grade I listed stately home and estate in the civil parish of Althorp, in West Northamptonshire, England of about . By road it is about northwest of the county town of Northampton and about northwest of c ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. Richard died on 1 August 1558, after which Jane later married Sir Simon Harcourt. Sir Richard Brydges and Lady Jane Spencer were the parents of the following children: * Jane Brydges, born c. 1542 * Anthony Brydges, born c. 1544, m. Barbara Pexsall, 1562 * Edmund Brydges, born c. 1548, d. after 1594 West Bradley, Somerset, m. Alice, daughter of Richard Goddard and Marie Alleyne. * Frances Brydges, born c. 1553, who married in 1574, Nicholas Stephens, Esq. of

Burderop Park Burderop Park is a Grade II* listed country manor house near Chiseldon, Wiltshire, England. The house was constructed in the early 17th century to a courtyard design, and was turned into a three-storey square house with bay windows during the 18t ...

near

Chiseldon Chiseldon is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It takes its name from the Old English cisel dene, or gravel valley, being noted in the Domesday Book as ''Chiseldene''. The village lies on the edge of the ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

(1555 - 1611)'Chiseldon: Manors and other estates', in R.W. Dunning, K.H. Rogers, P.A. Spalding, C. Shrimpton, J.H. Stevenson and M. Tomlinson, ''A History of the County of Wiltshire'' Vol. 9, ed. E. Crittall (V.C.H. London, 1970)
pp. 6-23.
(British History Online accessed 30 May 2016) Ludgershall Lodge in Wiltshire and

Great Shefford Great Shefford (or West Shefford) is an English village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Lambourn in the West Berkshire district of Berkshire. The present civil parish includes the historical parish of Little or East She ...

Manor in Berkshire were his chief residences, and he and his second wife Lady Jane Spencer are remembered by a large effigial monument in Ludgershall Church.

References

Sources

Royal Berkshire History: Great Shefford Manor
* (which erroneously describes Richard as Lord Chandos' brother)
Ludgershall Church Monument
Members of the Parliament of England for Berkshire 1500 births 1558 deaths High Sheriffs of Berkshire High Sheriffs of Oxfordshire People from Newbury, Berkshire People from Wiltshire People from West Berkshire District English MPs 1529–1536 English MPs 1539–1540 English MPs 1553 (Mary I) English MPs 1554 English MPs 1554–1555 English MPs 1558 {{1529-England-MP-stub