This is probably a picture of Robert and Mary Ann Bridge with their family, taken about 1890. It was sent to me by a descendant of Robert's daughter Martha, who appears to be standing second from the right. (Run the mouse pointer over the picture to see the names.) The original was (as usual) not labelled so identification rests simply on the resemblance to other pictures of Martha. However, the size of the family and the ages seem to fit with a picture taken around 1890, perhaps to mark their ruby wedding. (My informant found that the pattern on the reverse of the picture was in use from 1884 to 1892, peaking in 1888.)

The younger man standing on the left is probably James (26) and the other either Thomas (32, if still alive) or Robert G (36) if he had made the journey from Swindon. At this date there were five surviving daughters and it seems all were present, standing in birth order from left to right: Charlotte (39), Mary (35), Anne (34), Martha (29) and Alice (24).

This photograph was found in an album belonging to one of Samuel's descendants and sent to me by Michael Bridge (see below). The picture was not labelled but seems very likely to be of Samuel. There is a strong resemblance to his brother Robert and to his son Walter.

Sidney quickly established himself as a very good sign-writer and house decorator. He was soon joined by his brothers Fred and Ben and later by his sister Margaret and her husband (William Jell). Sidney and Jemima had no children but he saved and invested and died a rich man. Some at least of his savings he used to provide a sports ground for the borough of Leominster, called "Sydonia" and opened in 1937, with tennis courts, bowling green, pavilion etc.

Sydney clearly was more than somewhat eccentric. According to Dennis Ferguson

He used to go around on a yellow painted bicycle, no socks, a scarf around his neck without even a jacket in winter, always chewing nuts, jumping on and off his bicycle to collect the rents.

He bought hazel nuts in hundredweight sacks (112 lbs, about 50 kg) which he kept at the top of the stairs. He must have been hard to live with, since he used the kitchen table to repair the plumbing in all his many properties; when it came to mealtimes, the pipes were just pushed to the centre and Sidney and Jemima ate at the corners! He also was a lay preacher and used to ride an Enfield motorcycle to the various rural chapels, with his wife in a basket-work sidecar. Presumably he never came off the road. But most remarkably

His bedroom at the rear of the house was only 10ft square. He had the whole of the window frame taken out and if it snowed at night he used to take the blankets off the bed, shake the snow onto the floor and then shovel the whole lot out through the hole in the wall, which should of course have been the window.

Presumably his wife slept elsewhere - even the sidecar might have been more welcoming!

These two photos showing Ellen and Walter were probably taken around 1900. They were rediscovered only recently in an old album which originally belonged to Walter.

Walter's son Douglas married Constance May Williams and they had three daughters and three sons :- Donald John, b.1931, Kenneth Walter, b. 1933 and Michael Richard, b. 1941. Kenneth now lives in the USA, with two surviving sons and one grandson, b. 1996 in New Mexico. Michael is the genealogist of the family and discovered this web page and got in touch with me. He now has the album and sent me the scans of the photos together with much extra material, all marked "MRB" in the notes column of this table.