Events
Date of Birth: unknown.
Place of Birth: unknown.
Date of Death: about 1553.
Richard made his will 15 March 1552 and it was proved in 1553.
(probable) Place of Burial: Warminghurst, Sussex.
Richard requested in his will to be buried in Warminghurst.
Relationships
Father: unknown.
Mother: unknown.
Spouse: Joan.
Richard mentions his wife Joan in his will.
Kinsman: Thomas Hobson of Shipley, Sussex.
Richard in his will calls Thomas Hobson his kinsman. Richard had been a witness to the will of Thomas's father William Hobson, and Richard's son John was a witness to Thomas's will. Richard's widow Joan was living in Shipley at the time of her death.
Children:
Robert Bridger
Margaret Bridger
John Bridger (died 1578/9) married Alice Steere.
Elizabeth Bridger
Richard Bridger
Maude Bridger
Evidence
In the 1524 lay subsidy rolls for Warminghurst, there are three Bryggers listed:
Richard Brygger, with goods assessed at £3 6s 8d;
William Brygger, with goods assessed at £2;
and Edward Brygger, a day labourer.
A transcription of Richard’s will:
In the name of god amen the xvth day of march In the yere of our lord god i v lii I Ryc Brigg of Wymynghuerst in the countye of Sussex Sycke in bodye but hole of memorye & mynde thanks be to god make my last will & testment in man[ner] & forme herafter folowing. First I beq[uea]th my soule to almyghtie god or... seint Marye & to all the holie companie of heaven & my bodie to be buryed in the church yard of Wormynghurst Item I beq[uea]th unto the same church j heyfer of ij yere age to be set to hyre at the dyscreis of the church wardens & parishenerys to mo... a t.. before the sepulchre & other necessarys a boneft the church. Item Y gyve unto the poore xijd Item y wyll that Johone my wyffe shall have my house at Atchynton callyd Shorys with all the lande belongyng therto as long as she lyvythe and after hyr dysses y wyll that Robert my son & Marget my daugtr shall have hit duryng ther lyves & after ther dysses y wyll that hit remayne to John my son & hys hyres Item I gyve to John my son a cowe & a bull/ Item y gyve to Marad my daughtr j heyfer of thage of iij yers Item y gyve to Elizabeth my daughtr vili xiijs iiijd in money & all hir apparell at the day of hyr marriage Item y gyve to Robert my son vjli xiijs iiijd Item y gyve to Margeret my daughtr x marks Item y gyve to Marget Welshe my maide a begge(?) Item y gyve to Johne Bell my servant a twelmonthyns(?) bullocke to be kept tyll she have a caufe yf he wyll tarye so longe with my wyfe Item y gyve to Ryc Brygg my sons chylde j shepe The resydew of all my goods y gyve & beq[uea]th to Johone my wyfe & Ryc my sone whome y ordeyne & make my executors of thys my last wyll & testament & y wyll that yf they ij do departe the on fro the other that the goods shalbe equally devydyd betewyxt them at the dyscrecion of my oversears & yf hit happen my wyfe to marie then I wyll that she shall have but the thyrd p[ar]te of the saide goods and y disyre Thomas Hobson my kynsman John Wyllet & Henrie Brygg to be my overseears & for ther so doyng y wyll that Thomas Hobson shall have discharyd(?) iijs iiijd & the others ij ather(?) of the ijs In wytnesse wherof I have declaryd the same in the present of syr Edwarde Shelley ... … prest Henrye Brygg sr Edwarde Slot? with others The day & yere a bove wryttyn
Earlier Bridgers:
According the the Victoria County History of Sussex (6:2, sub Warminghurst): "In 1479 John Bridger settled lands in Warminghurst which had passed by 1508 to John son of William Bridger. John sold them in that year to Edward Slater and William White."
References
A P Baggs, C R J Currie, C R Elrington, S M Keeling and A M Rowland, 'Warminghurst : Manors and other estates', in A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2, Bramber Rape (North-Western Part) Including Horsham, ed. T P Hudson (London, 1986), pp. 52-54. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/sussex/vol6/pt2/pp52-54 [accessed 28 December 2017].
The Lay Subsidy Rolls for the County of Sussex 1524-25. Transcribed and edited by Julian Cornwall (Sussex Record Society, 1956).
Will of Richard Bridger, proved 1553, Consistory Court of Chichester registered wills, Volume 8, page 80. FHL film 194562, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Will of Thomas Hobson of Shipley, Sussex. Proved 5 November 1557 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
Will of William Hobson of Shipley, Sussex. Proved 8 June 1540 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.