skip to content
home / edition / people/ Edward Bridgen

Edward Bridgen


(b. 1720, Bridgnorth, Shropshire – d. July 28, 1787, London, England )

Gender: M

Edward Bridgen, antiquarian, was born in approximately 1720, likely to Edward Bridgen, a wine merchant in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Married (1762) Martha Richardson (1737-1785), daughter of Samuel Richardson. Bridgen founded the lace merchants of Bridgen and Waller on Paternoster Row in the early 1760s and served as Treasurer to the Society of Antiquaries in 1777. Following the success of Bridgen and Waller in South Carolina, Bridgen became a correspondent of both Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Though it is unclear how they met, Edward Bridgen was a friend of James Woodhouse, and offered his shop as a site to leave financial contributions for Woodhouse, as given in the 'Advertisement' to Poems on Sundry Occasions (1764). It is over their mutual relationship with James Woodhouse that Montagu and Bridgen correspond primarily, in a correspondence which lasts from 1766 to 1780. Bridgen died on 28 July 1787 in London.

Also known as:

  • Edward Bridgen

Authorities

VIAF Authority File IDexternal link

Mentioned in 1 letters


Recipient of 24 letters

Showing transcribed and un-transcribed letters | show transcribed only

  • «
  • 1 (current)
  • 2
  • »
  • «
  • 1 (current)
  • 2
  • »

Please note that all dates and location information are provisional, initially taken from the library and archive catalogues. As our section editors continue to work through the material we will update our database and the changes will be reflected across the edition.

Browser support: The website works best using the Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browsers on the PC, and only Chrome and Firefox on the Mac.