Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 2nd Baronet

For other people named Orlando Bridgeman, see Orlando Bridgeman (disambiguation).

Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 2nd Baronet (27 April 1678 – 5 December 1746) was a British baronet and Whig politician.

Background

He was the oldest son of Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet and his wife Mary Cave, daughter of Sir Thomas Cave, 1st Baronet. His sister Penelope was married to Thomas Newport, 1st Baron Torrington. Bridgeman was educated at Rugby School in Warwickshire and went then to Trinity College, Oxford, where he matriculated in 1694. He succeeded his father as baronet on the latter's death in 1701.

Career

Bridgeman entered the British House of Commons following the Acts of Union in 1707, sitting as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Coventry in the first Parliament of Great Britain until 1710. Five years later, he stood for Calne until 1722. Bridgeman represented Lostwithiel from a by-election in 1724 until the general election of 1727, when he was also successful for Blechingley, for which he chose to sit until 1734. He was afterwards returned to the House for Dunwich, a seat he held for the next four years.

In 1716, Bridgeman was appointed Auditor General to George, Prince of Wales, serving until the latter's accession to the throne in 1727. He then joined the Board of Trade as a commissioner, an office he held until 1738.

Family

On 15 April 1702, he married Susanna Dashwood, daughter of Sir Francis Dashwood, 1st Baronet, and had by her three sons and two daughters.

Disappearance

Bridgeman had built a new house at Bowood Park in Wiltshire, so that he got deeply into debt and the Chancery Courts started with proceedings against him in 1737.

In 1737, Bridgeman was nominated Governor of Barbados, but disappeared before sailing. He left farewell letters to his family and to the king. On 10 June 1738, a body was found drowned in the Thames near Limehouse and because it had been disfigured by the water, the body was falsely identified as Bridgeman's.

His principal creditor Richard Long acquired ownership of the estate after a Chancery Decree in his favour in 1739. The diary of John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont says the following:

Sir Orlando Bridgeman who, instead of going to his government of Barbados conferred on his last winter, made his escape (as he hoped) from the world, to avoid his creditors, by pretending to make himself away, and accordingly gave it out that he had drowned himself, was ferreted out of his hole by the reward advertised for whoever should discover him, and seized in an inn at Slough, where he had ever since concealed himself.

Bridgeman was found in an inn at Slough in October 1738 and was imprisoned. He died at the gaol of Gloucester on 5 December 1746, aged 68, and was buried in St Nicholas' Church, Gloucester.

Although his oldest son Francis is sometimes considered to have succeeded to the baronetcy, he in fact predeceased his father in 1740 and the title became extinct with Bridgeman's death.

References

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Sir Christopher Hales, 2nd Bt Thomas Gery	Member of Parliament for Coventry 1707 – 1710 With: Edward Hopkins	Succeeded by Robert Craven Thomas Gery
Preceded by William Northey William Hedges	Member of Parliament for Calne 1715 – 1722 With: Richard Chiswell	Succeeded by Benjamin Haskins-Stiles George Duckett
Preceded by Lord Stanhope Marquess of Hartington	Member of Parliament for Lostwithiel 1724 – 1728 With: Henry Parsons 1724–1727 Sir William Stanhope Jan – Aug 1727 Darrell Trelawny 1727–1728	Succeeded by Anthony Cracherode Edward Knatchbull
Preceded by Sir William Clayton Henry Herbert	Member of Parliament for Blechingley 1727 – 1734 With: Sir William Clayton	Succeeded by Sir William Clayton Sir Kenrick Clayton
Preceded by Sir George Downing Thomas Wyndham	Member of Parliament for Dunwich 1734 – 1738 With: Sir George Downing	Succeeded by Sir George Downing William Morden
Government offices
Preceded by James Dotin, acting	Governor of Barbados 1737 – 1738	Succeeded by Humphrey Howarth
Baronetage of England
Preceded by Orlando Bridgeman	Baronet (of Ridley) 1701 – 1746	Succeeded by (Francis Bridgeman)