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Bridgeman  in 1678; (3) [q. v.]; (4) James, who was knighted, married Miss Allen, a Cheshire lady, and had issue James (died unmarried), Frances (married William, third Baron Howard of Escrick), Magdalen (married W. Wynds), and Anne; (5) Richard of Combes Hall, Suffolk, married Katharine Watson. and had a son William, who became Secretary to the admiralty and clerk of the privy council; this William married Diana Vernatti, and had issue Orlando (whose only surviving son William died ummarried), and Katharine (married Orlando Bridgeman, fourth son of the second baronet, and died without issue). Ormerod says that Bishop Bridgeman 'was the compiler of a valuable work relating to the ecclesiastical history of the diocese, now deposited in the episcopal registry, and usually denominated Bishop Bridgeman's Ledger.'

 BRIDGEMAN, ORLANDO (1606?–1674), lord keeper, was the eldest son of Dr. [q. v.], rector of the family living of Wigan, and in 1619 bishop of Chester. His mother was Elizabeth Helyar,daughter of Dr. Helyar, canon of Exeter and archdeacon of Barnstaple. After receiving a home training, Orlando Bridgeman went in July 1619 to Queens' College, Cambridge, where he took his bachelor's degree in January 1624, and was elected fellow of Magdalene (where his father had previously been a fellow and M.A.) on 7 July of the same year (Hist. MSS. Comm. 4th Rep. 483). In November of that year he was admitted at the Inner Temple, was called to the bar on 10 Feb. 1633, and was made a bencher shortly before the Restoration. His legal reputation during Charles I's reign stood very high. He was chief justice of Chester 1638; attorney of the court of wards and solicitor-general to the Prince of Wales 1640. He had also the reversion of the office of keeper of the writs and rolls in the common pleas. This promotion was no doubt favoured by his political views. He was returned in 1640 to the Long parliament for Wigan, and was earnest in his support of the royal cause, and knighted in the same year. He voted against Strafford's attainder, and opposed the ordinance by which the militia was taken out of the hands of the king, and on the outbreak of the civil war assisted his father in maintaining the royal cause in Chester. He sat in the Oxford parliament of 1644, and in January 1645–6 was one of the king's commissioners at the Uxbridge negotiations, where, though the son of a bishop, he displayed such a tendency to compromise in church matters, and so lawyer-like a desire to meet political opponents halfway, that he incurred the censure both of Charles and of Hyde. As a prominent member of the royalist party he was compelled, after the death of Charles, to cease public advocacy at the bar, but appears to have escaped fine or other punishment, and on his submission to Cromwell, who was extremely anxious to secure the proper administration of the law, was permitted to practise in a private manner. He devoted himself to conveyancing, to which the vast changes in property resulting from the civil wars had given special importance, and for which the conspicuous moderation of his temper well fitted him, and was in this matter regarded as the leading authority by both parties, his very enemies not thinking their estates secure without his advice. After his death his collections were published under the title of 'Bridgeman's Conveyancer,' of which five editions were printed, the last and best in 1725. He was not, however, allowed to live in London; for he received a license from the council of state to remain at Beaconsfield with his family on 10 Sept. 1650, and on 15 and 29 Oct. also had special licenses to come to London and reside there for about a month, while engaged on special business.

In the political confusion which succeeded the death of Cromwell Bridgeman took no share. His legal reputation, however, and his former active loyalty were sufficient to put out of sight his late submission to Cromwell. Within a week after the king's return he was made successively serjeant-at-law and chief baron of the exchequer, and received a baronetcy, the first created after the Restoralion (, Worthies of Devon), in which he is described as of Great Lever, Lancashire. His property in this county appears to have been considerable, as Pepys speaks of another seat, probably Ashton Hall, 'antiently of the Levers, and then of the Ashtons,' as being shortly afterwards in his possession (, Diary).

In October (9–19) 1680 Bridgeman presided as lord chief baron at the trial of the regicides. He conducted these trials — at a time when, if ever, political partisanship might