Sir John Bridgeman, SL (1568/69 – 5 February 1638) was a barrister of the Inner Temple, serjeant-at-law[1] and local magnate in the West of England during the early 17th century.
With the assistance of Sir Thomas Coventry, a fellow student at the Inner Temple, he was appointed to the vacant office of Chief Justice of Chester in February 1626.
As Chief Justice of Chester, he retained, ex officio, his place on the Council in the Marches, and regularly served as deputy for the two presidents during his tenure (Northampton and Bridgewater).
[3] In 1637, Bridgeman was compelled to take severe measures to end pilgrimages to St Winefride's Well, Flintshire, considered a hotbed of recusancy by the government.
[3] He seems to have been a harsh and unpopular judge, as Ralph Gibbon composed the following pasquinade upon his death:[2] Here lies Sir John Bridgeman clad in his clay; God said to the devil, Sirrah, take him away.