Authorised form of name | Bridgeman; William (c1646 - 1699); government official |
Other forms of surname | Bridgman |
Dates | c1646 - 1699 |
Nationality | British |
Place of birth | Amsterdam, [modern day Netherlands], Europe |
Date of birth | c. 1646 |
Date of death | 10 May 1699 |
Occupation | Civil servant |
Activity | Education: Queen's College, Oxford (matriculated 1662) Career: Under-Secretary of State (1667-1681, 1683-1689, 1690-1692, 1693-1694); Commissioner for Assessment for Westminster (1679-1680), 1689-1690); Commissioner for Superstitious Uses (1690); MP for Bramber, Sussex (1685-1687); Clerk of the Privy Council (1685-1689, 1693-death); Registrar of the Ecclesiastical Commission (1687-1688); Deputy-Lieutenant of Middlesex (1692-death); Member of the Royal Fisheries, Ireland (1692); Secretary to the Admiralty (1694-1698); Chairman of the Charitable Adventure (a lottery for the benefit of Greenwich Hospital) (1699) Memberships: Clothworkers' Company |
Membership category | Fellow |
Date of election | 18/12/1679 |
Proposer | Thomas Henshaw |
RSActivity | Royal Society roles: Council: 1698 |
Other Royal Society activity | Listed for possible expulsion in 1685 due to non-payment of arrears, although he was 'reinstated' |
Relationships | Parents: Richard Bridgeman and Catherine Watson Married: Diana Vernatti Children: Orlando Bridgeman FRS 1696) Additional relatives: cousin Sir Orlando Bridgeman (FRS 1698) |
OtherInfo | After the revolution in 1688, Bridgeman was questioned about his activities under James II. As Secretary to the Admiralty, he was credited with bringing a proper and ordered system of administration to the office and some of the administrative precedents he set lasted well into the 18th century. Bridgeman's father was a merchant with the East India Company and despite his alleged royalist support, William Bridgeman was able to be naturalised in 1657. |
Source | Sources: Bulloch's Roll; Hunter; Foster; Henning; Foster Lancs; Shaw LD; Evelyn; ODNB Notes: Birth place likely, rather than definite. Evelyn vol IV, p197 says that he introduced William Bridgeman to be a member of the Royal Society 18 March 1680. |
Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/317285061 |
Code | NA8432 |