Gerald Michael Orlando Bridgeman, 6th Earl of Bradford, TD, DL, JP (29 September 1911 – 30 August 1981), styled Viscount Newport between 1915 and 1957, was a British peer, soldier, and arboriculturist.

Early life and education

Bradford was born at 83

Eaton Square Eaton Square is a rectangular, residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is the largest Squares in London, square in London. It is one of the three squares built by the landowning Grosvenor family when they developed the main ...

Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dangerous pla ...

, London, the only son of Orlando Bridgeman, Viscount Newport and his wife, Margaret, Viscountess Newport (''née'' Bruce), eldest daughter of

Henry Bruce, 2nd Baron Aberdare Henry Campbell Bruce, 2nd Baron Aberdare (19 June 1851 – 20 February 1929), styled The Honourable from 1873 to 1895, was a British soldier and peer. Background Born in Merthyr Tydfil, Bruce was the eldest son of Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdar ...

. He was christened a month later at

Holy Trinity Sloane Street The Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity with Saint Jude, Upper Chelsea, commonly called Holy Trinity Sloane Street or Holy Trinity Sloane Square, is a Church of England parish church in London, England. It was built in 1888–90 at the ...

. His godparents were Margaret Hamilton-Russell, Viscountess Boyne; his aunt

Eva Primrose, Countess of Rosebery Eva Isabel Marion Primrose, Countess of Rosebery and Midlothian ( Bruce; 17 June 1892 – 29 January 1987) was the English daughter of Henry Bruce, 2nd Baron Aberdare and his wife, Constance. Personal life Eva Isabel Marion Bruce married, ...

(then Hon. Mrs. Algernon Strutt), the

Aldred Lumley, 10th Earl of Scarbrough Aldred Frederick George Beresford Lumley, 10th Earl of Scarbrough (16 November 1857 – 4 March 1945), styled Viscount Lumley from 1868 to 1884, was an Anglo-Irish Peerage, peer, soldier and landowner. He was noted for his long service in both t ...

, and his uncle Lt. Hon. Richard Orlando Beaconsfield Bridgeman. Beginning in 1915, he was styled as Viscount Newport when his father succeeded as 5th Earl of Bradford. Bridgeman was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and went then to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1932. In 1961, he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) 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. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from Trinity College.

Career

Bridgeman was commissioned in 1938 in the

Shropshire Yeomanry The Shropshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1795, which served as a cavalry and dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and as a cavalry and an artillery regiment in the Second World War. It w ...

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...

, part of the Territorial Army and fought in the regiment as part of the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in Italy in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was mentioned in despatches and was decorated with the

Territorial Decoration __NOTOC__ The Territorial Decoration (TD) was a military medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army. This award superseded the Volunteer O ...

. On his retirement in 1962, he was granted the rank of a captain. Elected in 1955, Bridgeman was president of the

Country Landowners' Association The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) is a membership organisation representing landowners, property owners and businesses owners in England and Wales. Until 2000, the organisation was known as the Country Landowners Association. The ...

for two years. In 1957, he succeeded his father as earl. In 1975, he received the Bledisloe Gold Medal for Landowners by the

Royal Agricultural Society of England The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) promotes the scientific development of English agriculture. It was established in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science" and was known as the English Agricultural Society until it received i ...

. Bridgeman was justice of the peace for

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

from 1949 and became deputy lieutenant of that county two years later. He was appointed Crown Estate Commissioner in 1956, a post he held until 1968. In 1970, he was nominated vice

lord-lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility o ...

. He owned land in

Castle Bromwich Castle Bromwich () is a large suburban village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, England. It borders the rest of the borough to the south east, Sutton Coldfield to the east and north east, Shard E ...

, Warwickshire.

Marriage and issue

On 31 October 1946, he married Mary Willoughby Montgomery, elder daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Hassard Montgomery and Hester Frances Dames-Longworth. They had four children: * Richard Thomas Orlando Bridgeman, 7th Earl of Bradford (b. 3 October 1947) *Lady Serena Mary Bridgeman (1 July 1949 – 16 January 2001) married Richard Andrew (died 2000) on 27 April 1978 and divorced in 1989. Committed suicide by taking

paracetamol Paracetamol, or acetaminophen, is a non-opioid analgesic and antipyretic agent used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain. It is a widely available over-the-counter drug sold under various brand names, including Tylenol and Panadol. Parac ...

. *Lady Caroline Louise Bridgeman (born 18 April 1952), married Brian Garnell on 5 October 1974. *The Honorable Charles Gerald Orlando Bridgeman (born 25 June 1954), married Nicola Sales on 17 January 1982. Bridgeman died in 1981 and was succeeded in his titles by his older son

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, Gerald Bridgeman, 6th Earl Of 1911 births 1981 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Army personnel of World War II Deputy lieutenants of Shropshire 6 People educated at Harrow School Shropshire Yeomanry officers

Gerald Gerald is a masculine given name derived from the Germanic languages prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Gerald is a Norman French variant of the Germanic name. An Old English equivalent name was Garweald, the likely original ...

Royal Armoured Corps officers Royal Artillery officers