Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/137

BRIDGEMAN—BRIDGES—BRIGGS. BRIDGEMAN. 

, born 5 Feb. 1791, is second son of Orlando, first Earl of Bradford, by Lucy Elizabeth, daughter of George, fourth Viscount Torrington; brother of the present Earl and of Hon. Henry Orlando Bridgeman, Captain in the Army; and cousin of Capt. Hon. Henry Dilkes Byng, R.N.

This officer entered the Navy, 18 June, 1804, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the 74, Capt. Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge, under whom he attained the rating of Midshipman in 1805, and was present in Sir Robert Calder’s action, at the passage of the Dardanells, and in the expedition to the Scheldt. In Nov. 1809, he joined the 36, Capt. Geo. Fras. Seymour, and, on 10 Sept. 1810, he was confirmed a Lieutenant in the frigate, Capt. Chas. Richardson, both on the Lisbon station. Being appointed, 1 May, 1811, to the 74, as Flag-Lieutenant to his old Commander, then Rear-Admiral Legge, he served for some time at the defence of Cadiz; after which he successively joined, 8 March, 1813, the  74, bearing the flag at Newfoundland of Sir Rich. Goodwin Keats, and, 2 April, 1814, the yacht, Capt. Sir John Poo Beresford. Capt. Bridgeman, who obtained his second promotal commission 16 May, 1814, subsequently commanded, from 12 Dec. in that year, until paid off; 28 Aug. 1816, the 10, on the West India station, where he assisted at the reduction of Guadeloupe in 1815, and, from 24 June, 1817, until posted, 2 Sept. 1819, the  10, in South America. His last appointment was, 7 Sept. 1827, to the 28, attached to the squadron in the Mediterranean, of which ship he retained command until May, 1830. He accepted the Retirement 1 Oct. 1846.

Capt. Bridgeman married, 2 Dec. 1819, Elizabeth Caroline, eldest daughter of the late Sir Hen. Chamberlain, Bart., British Consul at Rio Janeiro, sister of the present Baronet, and half-sister of Commander Wm. Chas. Chamberlain, R.N. – Messrs. Ommanney.

 BRIDGES. 

is nephew of the late Lieut.-General Bridges. This officer entered the Navy, 1 Aug. 1804, as Midshipman, on board the 74, Capt. Benj. Hallowell, under whom he continued to serve, in the same ship, until the attainment of his first commission 1 Aug. 1811. During that period he accompanied Lord Nelson to the West Indies in pursuit of the combined fleets of France and Spain in 1805; attended the expedition to Egypt in 1807; witnessed the self-destruction of the French line-of-battle ships Robuste and Lion near the mouth of the Rhone, 26 Oct. 1809; and, on 31 of the same month, served in the boats at the capture and destruction, in the Bay of Rosas, of the French storeship Lamproie, of 16 guns and 116 men, with three other armed and seven merchant vessels, defended in a very spirited manner by their respective crews as well as by several powerful batteries, whose joint opposition occasioned the British a loss of 15 men killed and 55 wounded. On Capt. Hallowell hoisting his flag, as Rear-Admiral, in the 80, Lieut. Bridges joined him on 28 Oct. 1811, and remained under his command in that ship and in the 100, and  80, on the Mediterranean, Plymouth, and Irish stations, until advanced to the rank of Commander, 9 Sept. 1818. While in the he jumped overboard and saved the life of a man who in a state of intoxication had thrown himself into the sea. He has not since been employed.

Commander Bridges married, 19 May, 1825, Harriet, only surviving daughter of the Rev. D. D. Bergeur, Rector of Everley, co. Wilts, and Chaplain to Aubrey, seventh Duke of St. Albans. – Messrs. Chard.

 BRIDGES. 

entered the Navy, 26 Feb. 1826, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on borad the 28, Capt. Adolphus FitzClarence, whom, after serving in the Mediterranean, he followed into the  28. He next, in Sept. 1830, joined the 42, Capts. Manley Hall Dixon and Wm. Walpole; and in May, 1834 (having passed his examination in Dec. 1832), he became Mate of the 50, Capt. David Price, in the Mediterranean. After a further employment of three years and a half in the tender, commanded on Particular Service by Lieuts. Nicholas Cory and John M‘Donell, Mr. Bridges was promoted to his present rank by commission dated 28 June, 1838. His appointments have since been – 14 July, 1838, to the gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, Capt. Sir Thos. Hastings – 1 Feb. 1840, and 14 Feb. 1841, to the 84, Capt. Maurice Fred. Fitzhardinge Berkeley, and 72, Capt. Wm. Wilmott Henderson, both on the Mediterranean station, where he took part in the operations of 1840 on the coast of Syria, including the capture of St. Jean d’Acre – 25 Oct. 1841, to the 50, bearing the broad pendant in South America of Commodore John Brett Purvis, – and, 4 March, 1846, as First-Lieutenant, to the  22, Capt. Bundle Burges Watson, in which ship he is now serving at the Cape of Good Hope. – Hallett and Robinson.

 BRIDGES. 

entered the Navy, in May, 1796, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the, Lieut.-Commander Sibley; was next employed for five years, as Midshipman, in the 64, Capt. Robt. Devereux Fancourt, in the Channel, North Sea, and Baltic; removed, in April, 1802, to the 18, Capt. Christopher Strachey, lying at Sheerness; passed his examination in the course of the same year; and, after a further servitude, as Admiralty-Midshipman, in the  38, Capt. Sam. Sutton, and 38, Capt. Fred. Lewis Maitland, was promoted – for his gallant conduct, on 27 June, 1803, at the cutting out, under the batteries of Ile de Bas, by two boats of the latter frigate, of Le Venteux national brig, of 10 guns and 82 men, after a sanguinary deck-fight of 10 minutes – to a Lieutenancy in, we believe, the bomb, Capt. Fras. Temple, 4 July following. He next served – from 1804 until 1807, in the 64, Capt. Jas. Newman Newman, flag-ship, afterwards, of Rear-Admiral Jas. Rich. Dacres, 38, Capt. Chas. Dashwood, and 36, Capt. Chas. Bayne Hodgson Ross, all on the Jamaica station – from Jan. 1808 to June 1810, in the 18, Capt. Pitt-Barnaby Greene,  80, Capt. Geo. Cockburn, both in the Channel, and frigate, Capt. Geo. Wolfe, with whom he assisted, 12 April, 1809, at, the destruction of the shipping in Aix Roads, and, in August following, in the expedition to the Scheldt – and, from Jan. 1811, to Oct. 1815, in the, , and frigates, Capts. Jas. Coutts Crawford, Geo. Sayer, and Sam. Leslie, on the East India station, where he was present, under Capt. Crawford, at the reduction of Java, in Aug. 1811. On 8 Dec. 1815, Lieut. Bridges was promoted to the acting-command of the sloop. He was confirmed into the, of 18 guns, 15 Nov. 1816; brought home and paid off the , of 46 guns, 26 April, 1819; became Second-Captain of the 120, flag-ship at Chatham of Sir Robt. Moorsom, 12 May, 1827; and obtained his Post-commission 29 Sept. following. He has since been on half-pay.

For his “distinguished merit” at the capture of Le Venteux the Patriotic Fund voted Capt. Bridges a sword of 30l. value. – J. Hinxman.

 BRIGGS. 

entered the Navy, 21 March, 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the 74,