Sir Orlando Bridgeman | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byPieter Borsseler | |
| Born | (1606-01-30)30 January 1606 |
| Died | 25 June 1674(1674-06-25) (aged 68) |
| Occupation | English politician |
Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet (30 January 1606 – 25 June 1674) was anEnglish common law jurist, lawyer, and politician who sat in theHouse of Commons from 1640 to 1642. He supported theRoyalist cause in theCivil War.
Bridgeman was the son ofJohn Bridgeman,Bishop of Chester, and his wife Elizabeth Helyar, daughter of Reverend William Helyar. He was educated atQueens' College, Cambridge and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1624.[1] The same year, Bridgeman became a fellow atMagdalene College, Cambridge and wascalled to the Bar at theInner Temple.
Bridgeman worked as a barrister until 1632, and was named vice chamberlain ofChester in 1638. In 1640, he was appointed Attorney of theCourt of Wards in 1640, and Solicitor-General toCharles, thePrince of Wales.
In April 1640, Bridgeman was elected Member of Parliament forWigan in theShort Parliament. He was re-elected MP for Wigan for theLong Parliament in November 1640.[2] He rallied to the royal cause and in 1642 assistedLord Strange at Chester against the parliamentary forces. As a result, he was disabled from sitting in parliament on 29 August 1642.[3]
He was knighted by the King,Charles I, in 1643.
From 1644 to 1646, Bridgeman wasCustos Rotulorum of Cheshire. In 1645, he wasCommissioner at theTreaty of Uxbridge on behalf of the King.[4] He compounded for his delinquency in 1646.
On 30 May 1660, Bridgeman was madeSerjeant-at-Law, and two days laterLord Chief Baron of the Exchequer. The following week, on 7 June 1660, he was created aBaronet, of Great Lever, in the County ofLancaster. From 1660 to 1668, Bridgeman wasChief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and from 1667 to 1672Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, resigning because he refused to apply the Great Seal to theRoyal Declaration of Indulgence, which he regarded as too generous to Catholics. In 1668, he was a member of theNew England Company. In his final years, Bridgeman appointed the priest, theologian, andmetaphysical poetThomas Traherne (c. 1637 – 1674) as his private chaplain at Teddington and supported the publication of his writings. Bridgeman died aged 65 inTeddington,Middlesex and was buried there.
Bridgeman was highly regarded in his time for his participation in the trial of theregicides of KingCharles I in 1660, and also for devising complex legal instruments for the conveyance of estates in land. Among Bridgeman's most enduring inventions was a device for the22nd Earl of Arundel, which led to the creation in theDuke of Norfolk's Case, 3 Ch. Ca. 1, 22. Eng. Rep. 931 (Ch. 1681), of theRule Against Perpetuities. Following theGreat Fire of London he was one of the judges appointed to resolve disputes about property arising from the fire.[citation needed]
Bridgeman married twice, firstly Judith Kynaston, daughter of John Kynaston, on 30 January 1627 or 1628. They had two children:
Secondly he married Dorothy Saunders, daughter of John Saunders. They had three children:
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Parliament suspended Title last held by Edward Bridgeman | Member of Parliament forWigan 1640–1642 With:Alexander Rigby | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Custos Rotulorum of Cheshire 1644–1646 | Vacant Title next held by The Lord Delamer |
| Preceded by | Lord Keeper of the Great Seal 1667–1672 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer 1660 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Justice of the Common Pleas 1660–1667 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of England | ||
| New creation | Baronet of Great Lever 1660–1674 | Succeeded by John Bridgeman |
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| People | |
| Other | |