Thomas Edward Bridgett (20 January 182917 February 1899) 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 ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest, missionary preacher and historical writer.

Life

He was the third son of Joseph Bridgett, a silk manufacturer of Colney Hatch, and his wife Mary (born Gregson). He was born at

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

on 20 January 1829. His parents were Baptists, and Bridgett was educated first at

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformist ...

and then at Nottingham; but in 1848 he was admitted to Tunbridge School, and on 20 March 1845 was baptised into the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

. He was in the sixth form at Tunbridge from 1845 to 1847, proceeding thence as Smythe exhibitioner to

St. John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

, where he was admitted pensioner on 23 February 1847. He intended taking orders in the Anglican church, but in 1850 he refused to take the oath of supremacy necessary before graduation, and was received into the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

by Father Stanton at the

Brompton Oratory Brompton Oratory is a large neo-classical Roman Catholic church in the Knightsbridge area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. Its full name is the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, or as named in its Grade II* archite ...

. He joined the

Redemptorist Order The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

, completing his novitiate at

Saint-Trond Sint-Truiden (; french: link=no, Saint-Trond ; li, Sintruin ) is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, and has over 41,500 inhabitants, which makes it one of the largest cities in Limburg. The muni ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, and after a course of five years of theological study at

Wittem Wittem (, ) is a small village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem. History The village was first mentioned in 1125 as Witham, and means "means silted land in a bend in a waterway". Wittem develo ...

, in The

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

; in 1856 he was ordained priest and returned to England. Mission work is the chief function of the order, and as a missionary Bridgett was very successful. In 1868, he founded the Confraternity of the Holy Family attached to the Redemptorist church at Limerick. Bridgett, however, found time for a good deal of literary and historical work, and produced several books of value, dealing mainly with the history of

the Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. His earliest work was ''The Ritual of the New Testament'', 1873, 8vo. In, he published ''Our Lady's Dowry'', which reached a third edition in 1890. His most extensive work was his ''History of the Holy Eucharist in Great Britain'', 1881, 2 vols. 8vo. In 1888, he published a ''Life of Blessed

John Fisher John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian. Fisher was also an academic and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI. Fisher was executed by o ...

'' (2nd edit. 1890); in 1889 ''The True Story of the Catholic Hierarchy deposed by Queen Elizabeth'', and in 1891 ''The Life and Writings of Sir Thomas More''. He also edited the ''Sermons'' (1876) of Bishop Thomas Watson (1513–1584); ''Lyra Hieratica. Poems on the Priesthood'', 1896 ; and wrote ''The Discipline of Drink; an historical inquiry into the principles and practice of the Catholic Church regarding the use, abuse, and disuse of alcoholic liquors'', 1876, ''Historical Notes on Adare'', Dublin, 1885, 8vo, and ''Sonnets and Epigrams on Sacred Subjects'', London, 1898, 8vo. He died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

at the monastery of St. Mary's, Clapham, on 17 February 1899, and was buried on the 21st in the Roman Catholic cemetery at Mortlake. His youngest brother, Ronald, for many years consul at

Buenos Ayres Buenos Ayres is a town in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in southwestern Trinidad, north of Erin and southeast of Point Fortin. Buenos Ayres is the hometown of the calypsonian Cro Cro. The Erin Savannas, one of the last remaining natural ...

, died 16 February 1899.

References

Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridgett, Thomas Edward 1829 births 1899 deaths English Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism 19th-century English Roman Catholic priests Redemptorists English Roman Catholic theologians Christian hagiographers Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge People from Derby