The Col. Joseph Bridger written of in the last post was the son of:
Samuel Bridger (1584, Gloucester, England - 21 July 1650, Gloucester, England.) and Mary Neuce (abt 1600, England - ?) He was auditor and sub-dean of Gloucester College.
The above Samuel Bridger was the son of Lawrence Bridger (1550, Godalming, Surrey, England - 1630-1632, Surrey, England.) and ?
Lawrence Bridger was Rector of Slimbridge for 55 years, a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, 1568.
From The Regional Historian, Issue 9, Summer 2002
E. W. Carpenter
He was born in 1550 at Godalming and entered Oxford in 1568 where he was, unusually, elected a fellow of Magdalen College before receiving his B.A. in 1570, and then an M.A. in 1577. He was recommended to the office of Rector and Clerk of Slimbridge by the President of Magdalen with the approval of the Bishop of Gloucester. Again somewhat unusually, maybe uniquely, he was invested with the office by Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle on 11th Oct. 1577. In 1586 Lawrence was installed as a Prebender of the 3rd stall at Gloucester Cathedral, a post which he held until resigning in 1625.
Of his secular activities we learn most from the thirteen references to Bridgers in Vol 3 of 'The Berkeley Manuscripts', written by Lawrence’s contemporary John Smyth (1567 - 1640) Steward to the Berkeleys. For example, Smyth (V3 p203) sold Gossington Hall to Lawrence Bridger, clerke parson of Slimbridge , with 60 acres of land. There were also several other substantial sales to Lawrence by Smyth who also records that Lawrence Bridger, Parson of Slimbridge, clerke, was one of 'the persons charged to finde horses for the trayned band under Sir Gabriell Lowe, Knight, and Captaine of Dragoons of Berkeley Hundred in Anno 1626'.
In what is a rather nice epitaph Smyth says that Lawrence died 'a very rich and honest man.'
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