Earl of Bradford is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was first created in 1694 for Francis Newport, 2nd Baron Newport. However, all the Newport titles became extinct on the death of the fourth Earl in 1762. The earldom was revived in 1815 for Orlando Bridgeman, 2nd Baron Bradford. The Bridgeman family had previously succeeded to the Newport estates. The title of the peerage refers to the ancient

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

of Bradford in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, and not, as might be assumed, to the city of

Bradford, Yorkshire Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 c ...

, or the town of

Bradford-on-Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, s ...

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 ...

History of the title

Newport creation

The Newports were an ancient

family. One member of the family, Richard Newport, represented

and Shrewsbury in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. In 1642 he was raised to the Peerage of England as Baron Newport, of High Ercall in the County of Shropshire. His son Francis, the second Baron, represented Shrewsbury in the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septem ...

and fought as a Royalist in the

. After the Restoration he served as Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, as Comptroller of the Household and as

Treasurer of the Household The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons. The current holder of the office is Mar ...

. In 1676 Newport was created Viscount Newport, of Bradford in the County of Shropshire, and on 11 May 1694 he was further honoured when he was made Earl of Bradford, in the County of Shropshire. Both titles were in the Peerage of England. Lord Bradford was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He sat as a Whig

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 o ...

for

and served as Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire. In 1681 Lord Bradford married Mary Wilbraham, daughter of Sir Thomas Wilbraham, Bt, and Elizabeth Mytton. Through this marriage

Weston Park Weston Park is a country house in Weston-under-Lizard, Staffordshire, England, set in more than of park landscaped by Capability Brown. The park is located north-west of Wolverhampton, and north-east of Telford, close to the border with Shrop ...

in Staffordshire came into the Newport family. Their eldest son, the third Earl, represented

Bishop's Castle Bishop's Castle is a market town in the south west of Shropshire, England. According to the 2011 Census it had a population of 1,893. Bishop's Castle is east of the Wales-England border, about north-west of Ludlow and about south-west of Sh ...

and

in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

and was also Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire. He had no legitimate children and on his death the peerages passed to his younger brother, the fourth Earl. When he died in 1762 all the Newport titles became extinct. The family estates, including Weston Park, were inherited by his nephew, Sir Henry Bridgeman, 5th Baronet, of Great Lever (see below). The Hon. Thomas Newport, younger son of the first Earl, was created

Baron Torrington Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

in 1716.

Bridgeman creation

The Bridgeman family originally stems from

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. One member of the family, John Bridgeman, grandson of Edward Bridgeman, served as Bishop of Chester from 1619 to 1652. His son, Orlando Bridgeman, was a prominent lawyer and politician. In 1660 he was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

, of Great Lever in the County of Lancaster, in the Baronetage of England. His great-grandson, the fourth Baronet, represented Shrewsbury in Parliament. In 1719 he married Lady Anne Newport, daughter of Richard Newport, 2nd Earl of Bradford. Their son, the fifth Baronet, was a

for

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

and Wenlock for over forty years. In 1762 he succeeded through his mother to the Newport estates, including

, on the death of his uncle, the fourth Earl of Bradford (see above). After Bridgeman's retirement from the

in 1794, the Bradford title held by his mother's family was revived when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Bradford, of Bradford in the

County of Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to t ...

. His son, the second Baron, represented

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the 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 north-east and Warrington t ...

in Parliament. In 1815, the earldom of Bradford was revived when he was created Viscount Newport, in the County of Shropshire, and Earl of Bradford, in the County of Shropshire. His grandson, the third Earl, was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician and notably served as Lord Steward of the Household and as

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

. He was also Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire. His eldest son, the fourth Earl, represented

North Shropshire North Shropshire was a local government district in Shropshire, England from 1974 to 2009. The district council was based at Edinburgh House in Wem. Other settlements included the towns of Ellesmere, Market Drayton, Wem and Whitchurch, as w ...

in Parliament as a

. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the fifth Earl. He was a

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

in the army and fought in the Boer War and in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Lord Bradford was also Private Secretary to both Prime Minister Lord Salisbury and to Prime Minister

Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, (, ; 25 July 184819 March 1930), also known as Lord Balfour, was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As foreign secretary in the ...

and held office as a Government Whip in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

from 1919 to 1924. The present holder of the titles is his grandson, the seventh Earl, who succeeded in 1981. Another member of the Bridgeman family was the

politician

William Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman William Clive Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman, PC, JP, DL (31 December 1864 – 14 August 1935) was a British Conservative politician and peer. He notably served as Home Secretary between 1922 and 1924. He was also an active cricketer. Bac ...

. He was the son of Reverend the Hon. John Robert Orlando Bridgeman, third son of the second Earl of Bradford.

Family seats

The family seat is

in Staffordshire. They also held Castle Bromwich Hall, a manor in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

, along with the adjoining Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens. The Hall is now a hotel, and its gardens have been restored by a Trust and are open to the public. Weston Park was held by the family until 1986. Gerald, the 6th Earl of Bradford, who had succeeded to the title in 1957, died in 1981, leaving the family with large death duties. After five years of negotiations with the Treasury, Weston Park was donated to the nation via a Foundation established in 1986. Since then, a G8 Summit Retreat was held at Weston Park in 1998 with the heads of State or Government present including US President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin and, since 1999, the grounds of Weston Park have been used as one of the sites of the annual dual-site Virgin sponsored V Festival. While the family of the 7th Earl of Bradford has no remaining claim to Weston Park, much of the artwork (including works by van Dyck and others) remains privately held.

Earl of Bradford, first creation

Baron Newport (1642)

* Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport (1587–1651) * Francis Newport, 2nd Baron Newport (1620–1708) (created Viscount Newport in 1675)

Viscount Newport (1675)

* Francis Newport, 1st Viscount Newport (1620–1708) (created Earl of Bradford in 1694)

Earl of Bradford (1694)

Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford PC (23 February 1620 – 19 September 1708), styled The Honourable between 1642 and 1651, was an English soldier, courtier and Whig politician. Background Born at Wroxeter, he was the eldest son of Richard ...

(1620–1708) * Richard Newport, 2nd Earl of Bradford (1644–1723) * Henry Newport, 3rd Earl of Bradford (1684–1734) * Thomas Newport, 4th Earl of Bradford (c. 1696 – 1762)

Male-line family tree

Earl of Bradford, second creation

Bridgeman baronets, of Great Lever (1660)

* Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet (30 January 1606 – 25 June 1674), son of John Bridgeman, Bishop of Chester. *Sir John Bridgeman, 2nd Baronet (16 August 1631 – 24 August 1710). Bridgeman was the son of the

Lord Keeper of the Great Seal The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and later of Great Britain, was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England. This position evolved into that of one of the Great Officers of S ...

Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet, of Great Lever, and Judith Kynaston, and older brother of Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet, of Ridley, he was admitted to the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1647 and called to the Bar in 1654, though given his father's expression of regret in his will that none of his sons followed him into the legal profession, one must infer that he never practiced. John succeeded to his father's baronetcy on 25 June 1674. He was married to Mary Cradock, daughter of George Cradock of

Caverswall Castle Caverswall Castle is a privately owned early-17th-century English mansion built in a castellar style upon the foundations and within the walls of a 13th-century castle, in Caverswall, Staffordshire. It is a Grade I listed building. The castle i ...

. They had two children: Orlando Bridgeman, married Katherine Bridgeman, daughter of William Bridgeman; Sir John Bridgeman, 3rd Baronet. Bridgeman died, aged 79, in

Castle Bromwich Castle Bromwich () is a large suburban village situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of the West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east; also Sutton Coldfield to the east and ...

, and was buried in Aston. St Michael the Archangel, Llanyblodwel interior 70

*Sir John Bridgeman, 3rd Baronet (9 August 1667 – 21 July 1747). Bridgeman was the second son of Sir John Bridgeman, 2nd Baronet, and Mary Cradock, and was educated at Oriel College, Oxford. In 1689, he was called to the Bar,

. On 24 January 1710, Bridgeman succeeded in his father's baronetcy. He married Ursula Matthews, daughter of Roger Matthews, in 1694. They had two children: Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 4th Baronet; Ursula Bridgeman, married Hugh Williams. Bridgeman died, aged 79, and was buried in Llanyblodwel,

. * Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 4th Baronet (2 July 1695 – 25 July 1764). Married Lady Anne Newport, third daughter of the 2nd Earl of Bradford (of the first creation, see above). * Sir Henry Bridgeman, 5th Baronet (7 September 1725 – 5 June 1800) (created Baron Bradford in 1794).

Baron Bradford (1794)

Henry Bridgeman, 1st Baron Bradford Henry Bridgeman, 1st Baron Bradford (7 September 1725 – 5 June 1800),Doyle (1886), p. 208. known as Sir Henry Bridgeman, 5th Baronet, between 1764 and 1794, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons for 46 years from 1748 to 17 ...

(1725–1800) * Orlando Bridgeman, 2nd Baron Bradford (1762–1825) (created Viscount Newport and Earl of Bradford in 1815)

Earl of Bradford (1815)

Male-line family tree

Line of succession

* ''

(1725–1800)'' ** ''

Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Earl of Bradford Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Earl of Bradford (19 March 1762 – 7 September 1825) was a British peer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1784 to 1800. Bridgeman was the son of the Henry Bridgeman, 1st Baron Bradford, 1st Baron Bradfo ...

(1762–1825)'' *** '' George Augustus Frederick Henry Bridgeman, 2nd Earl of Bradford (1789–1865)'' **** ''

Orlando George Charles Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford Orlando George Charles Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford, PC, DL (24 April 1819 – 12 March 1898), styled Viscount Newport between 1825 and 1865, was a British courtier and Conservative politician. In a ministerial career spanning over thirty ...

(1819–1898)'' ***** '' George Cecil Orlando Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford (1845–1915)'' ****** '' Orlando Bridgeman, 5th Earl of Bradford (1873–1957)'' ******* '' Gerald Michael Orlando Bridgeman, 6th Earl of Bradford (1911–1981)'' ******** Richard Thomas Orlando Bridgeman, 7th Earl of Bradford (born 1947) ********* (1) Alexander Michael Orlando Bridgeman, Viscount Newport (born 1980) ********* (2) ''Hon.'' Henry Gerald Orlando Bridgeman (born 1982) ********* (3) ''Hon.'' Benjamin Thomas Orlando Bridgeman (born 1987) ******** (4) ''Hon.'' Charles Gerald Orlando Bridgeman (born 1954) ********* (5) James Edward Charles Bridgeman (born 1978) ********* (6) Robert Gerald Orlando Bridgeman (born 1983) ********* (7) Nicholas Francis Orlando Bridgeman (born 1991) ****** ''Lt.Col. Hon. Henry George Orlando Bridgeman (1882–1972)'' ******* ''Lt.Col. Peter Orlando Ronald Bridgeman (1933–2013)'' ******** (8) Mark George Orlando Bridgeman (born 1968) ********* (9) Ned Aidan Orlando Bridgeman (born c. 2000) ********* (10) Benedict Bridgeman (born 2005) ******* (11) John Henry Orlando Bridgeman (born 1938) ***** ''Brig.Gen. Hon. Francis Charles Bridgeman (1846–1917)'' ****** '' Reginald Francis Orlando Bridgeman (1884–1968)'' ******* (12) Henry Clive Orlando Bridgeman (born 1946) **** ''Rev. Hon. George Thomas Orlando Bridgeman (1823–1895)'' ***** ''Charles George Orlando Bridgeman (1852–1933)'' ****** ''Roger Orlando Bridgeman (1889–1975)'' ******* ''Richard Lynedoch Orlando Bridgeman (1931–1982)'' ******** (13) Leopold Orlando Bridgeman (born 1968) ******** (14) Constantine Orlando Bridgeman (born 1970) ********* (15) Hector Richard Orlando Bridgeman (born 2006) ********* (16) Orland Bridgeman (born 2008) **** ''Rev. Hon. John Robert Orlando Bridgeman (1831–1897)'' ***** ''

William Clive Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman William Clive Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman, PC, JP, DL (31 December 1864 – 14 August 1935) was a British Conservative politician and peer. He notably served as Home Secretary between 1922 and 1924. He was also an active cricketer. Bac ...

(1864–1935)'' ****** ''Brig. Geoffrey John Orlando Bridgeman (1898–1974)'' ******* (17) Robin John Bridgeman, 3rd Viscount Bridgeman (born 1930) ******** (1, 18) ''Hon.'' Luke Robinson Orlando Bridgeman (born 1971) ********* (2, 19) Valentine Henry Ralph Orlando Bridgeman (born 1999) ********* (3, 20) Felix Bridgeman (born 2002) ******** (4, 21) ''Hon.'' Esmond Francis Ralph Bridgeman (born 1974) ******** (5, 22) ''Hon.'' Orlando Henry Geoffrey Bridgeman (born 1983)

References

External links

*
Weston Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of England Earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...

* Noble titles created in 1694 1694 establishments in England Noble titles created in 1815 1815 establishments in the United Kingdom

History of the title

Newport creation

Bridgeman creation

Family seats

Earl of Bradford, first creation

Baron Newport (1642)

Viscount Newport (1675)

Earl of Bradford (1694)

Male-line family tree

Earl of Bradford, second creation

Bridgeman baronets, of Great Lever (1660)

Baron Bradford (1794)

Earl of Bradford (1815)

Male-line family tree

Line of succession

See also

References

External links