Family of Stephen 1 Bridge of Smarden, ca.1671-1756
Stephen and his descendents were members of the Particular Baptist community centred on the "Tilden Chapel" at Gilham in the parish of Smarden. Consequently there are no records of baptisms. There is however a surviving record book for the chapel containing lists of members, notes of deaths and a few births and the records of a series of "discipline meetings". All marriages were conducted in the church, even for dissenters, and also some burials. However, the best records are provided by the accounts of the parish overseers, who collected the rates and paid out to the poor.
There are three Johns, three Roberts and three Stephens on this page, so we have got to do something! I am numbering according to the generation, calling this one Stephen 1. The records do not say which is which, so the numbers only appear in the notes, to emphasise that they are just my interpretation.
date location record name description note
ca. 1671 (from date of inheritance) Birth Stephen Bridge probable son of John Bridge Discussion: too many Johns, too few facts
26 Oct 1681... Smarden Poor Rate James Gurr tenant of the "heirs of John Bridge" rent £3
21 Dec 1688... Smarden Poor Rate Ralph Dawkins tenant of the "heirs of John Bridge" rent £3
15 Apr 1692... Smarden Poor Rate Ralph Dawkins tenant of Stephen Bridge rent £3
N.B. dates shown with ... indicate the first of a run of similar records.

The Poor Law accounts thus show that Stephen was an heir to John Bridge (probably a son), that he came of age in 1692 and that he inherited a small piece of land. (£3 rent is a valuation in this case and implies a holding of about 6 acres, enough to support a single family.) Subsequent records show that he lived on this plot almost all his life. Only a small minority of small farmers owned their land; not having to pay rent would certainly be a financial advantage and perhaps something of a status symbol, too.

Poor Law records at this time were kept by overseers appointed for each parish who made an "assessment" of the rental value of every holding and calculated the amount to be collected at the "rate" of so many pence in the pound. Over Stephen's life the rate remained constant at 8d in the £ though there was one sharp revaluation of the rental values. The quality of the records is mostly good; they show the name of the occupant, the rent paid and the rate levied and after 1685 the landlord is recorded as well, which means there is plenty of information to demonstrate continuity of occupation.
30 Oct 1694 Headcorn Marriage Stephen Bridge & Sarah Jewshurst both of Smarden
3 May 1695... Smarden Poor Rate Stephen Bridge no tenant rent £3
1695-1705 sons John 2, Robert 2 and Stephen 2 presumably born in this period
15 Jan 1709 Smarden Burial son of Stephen Bridge infant
21 May 1725... Smarden Poor Rate Stephen Bridge "rent" increases to £5 due to general revaluation
The Poor Law records for the years 1730-1749 have not survived.
7 Dec 1750 Smarden Poor Rate Stephen Bridge final entry: rent £5
7 Nov 1752 Smarden Baptist Death wife of Stephen Bridge aged 84
13 Oct 1753 Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury Will Stephen Bridge the Elder of Smarden, labourer
John Bridge son 5s
Robert Bridge son 5s
Stephen Bridge "and his heirs" son, executor residue
Implying that the other sons had no (male) heirs?
1756 Smarden Baptist Death Stephen Bridge
5 Oct 1756 ACC 95 f144 Probate Stephen Bridge total estate "did not amount to £20"
If the estate came to more than £20, a tax was payable to the probate court. Assuming that the house and land were sold in 1750, there should have been a couple of hundred pounds; presumably this had been spent or possibly given to the sons.
Son of Stephen 1 Bridge
6 Jul 1755 Smarden Baptist records John Bridge received into the church son of Stephen1
1758 Smarden Baptist Death John Bridge
Family of Robert 2 Bridge of Smarden, ca.1700-1777
date location record name description note
7 Oct 1727 Smarden Marriage Robert Bridge & Anne Vane son of Stephen1
The Tilden chapel (1726) was built by a carpenter Matthew Vane who also built the Bell Meeting in Smarden (of which he was a member and later an Elder). Anne must have been related; possibly she was his sister.
14 Apr 1748 Smarden Burial Stephen Bridges son of Robert 2? infant
This infant Stephen Bridges (above) could not have been a child of Stephen 2 and Hannah because they already had a son Stephen old enough to marry in 1756.
1749 Smarden Baptist records wife of Robert Bridge member
14 Nov 1750 Smarden Baptist records Robert Bridge signed record of discipline meeting RB1sig.jpg (4K)
15 Oct 1751 Smarden Baptist records Robert Bridge signed record of discipline meeting RB2sig.jpg (4K)
25 Dec 1752 Smarden Baptist records Robert Breadge signed record of discipline meeting RB3.sig.jpg (8K)
25 Dec 1754 Smarden Baptist records Robert Bridges signed record of discipline meeting RB4sig.jpg (7K)
5 Dec 1757 Smarden Baptist records Robert Bridge has left the church
Does this suggest release (Father doesn't make him go any more) or pique (he only got 5s in the will)?
25 Dec 1759 Smarden Baptist records wife of Robert Bridge not attending the church
3 Jan 1765... Smarden Poor Rate Robert Bridge snr. tenant of Mr Bayly rent £5
27 Jun 1777 Smarden Poor Rate late Robert Bridge's widow tenant of Mr Bayly rent £5
1777 Smarden Baptist Death Robert Bridge
27 Jun 1777 Smarden Poor Law Widow Bridge Henry Ottaway to provide a house, rent £1/10s, to be paid by the parish from next Michaelmas (Sep)
"Widow Bridge" is ambiguous, since there was also John3 Bridge's widow, but the timing of this arrangement makes it look like Robert's widow.
27 Oct 1780 Smarden Poor Law Robert Bridge's widow received 1½ loads of wood
25 Jan 1782... Smarden Poor Law Robert Bridge's widow now on the list of paupers receiving regular support
1782 to 1784 Barkley Hundred Land Tax Widow Bridge Omenden borough, tenant of Henry Ottaway tax 1s
Land Tax records survive from 1780 onwards; it was assessed at the rate of a few pence an acre, so 1s tax is about right for £1½ rent
Records were organised according to the ancient civil system of "hundreds", subdivided into "boroughs", rather than the ecclesiastical parish boundaries. The hundred of Barkley overlapped the southwestern half of Smarden and the Omenden borough included the hamlet of Gilham.
30 May 1785 Smarden Baptist records Anne Bridge member
1 May 1786 Smarden Baptist Death Anne Bridge widow
9 Nov 1786 Smarden Burial Ann Bridge widow dissenter
24 Nov 1786 Smarden Poor Law Robert Bridge's widow last recorded payment
1787 Barkley Hundred Land Tax Widow Bridge Omenden borough, tenant of Henry Ottaway "empty"
The following records are ambiguous, since "Hannah", "Han" and "Hana" could refer to Hannah 2 the wife of Stephen 2. However, it would have been very unusual for a wife to hold a tenancy at the same time as her husband. Perhaps Robert 2 and Anne had a daughter Hannah 3 who took over his tenancy when he died in 1777.
26 Dec 1777... Smarden Poor Rate Han. Bridge tenant of Mr. Bayly rent £5
1780 Barkley Hundred Land Tax Hannah Bridge Omenden borough, tenant of Thomas Bayly tax 4s
1781 Barkley Hundred Land Tax Hannah Bridge Omenden borough, tenant of Mrs. Baily tax 4s
25 Jan 1782... Smarden Poor Rate Han. Bridge tenant of Henry Ottaway rent £1½
Hannah 3 has now moved to live with her mother, apparently
28 Jul 1787 Smarden Poor Law Han. Bridge tenant of Henry Ottaway rent £1½, last record
1788,90,93 Barkley Hundred Land Tax Hannah Bridge Omenden borough, tenant of Henry Ottaway "empty"
If Hannah once again took over the tenancy, she does not seem to be doing anything with it.
Family of Stephen 2 Bridge of Smarden, ca.1700-1788
date location record name description note
13 Jan 1729 Smarden Marriage Stephen Bridges & Hannah Freeman son of Stephen 1
1730-42 Presumed children Sarah, Stephen3, John 3, Robert3 & Matthew must have been born in this period.
16 Jun 1741 Smarden Baptist records Stephen Bridge signed "Declaration of Faith and Practice ..." SB1sig.jpg (6K)
It could have been Stephen 1 who signed the "Declaration" but the handwriting suggests a younger man.
1749 Smarden Baptist records wife of Stephen Bridge, jnr member
25 Dec 1754 Smarden Baptist records Stephen Bridges signed record of discipline meeting SB2sig.jpg (6K)
31 Dec 1756 - 26 Dec 1761 Smarden Poor Rate Stephen Bridge snr tenant of John Ottaway snr rent £2½
Stephen 1 died before 5 Oct 1756 (when his will was proved) so this must be Stephen 2, who I take to be the son of Stephen 1. It seems he used his inheritance to take on the tenancy of a small plot of land, before handing it over to his (presumed) son Stephen 3 and renting a larger holding jointly with John 3. Stephen 3 only appears in the rate records once.
30 Jul 1762 Smarden Poor Rate Stephen Bridge jnr tenant of John Ottaway snr rent £2½
30 Jul 1762 Smarden Poor Rate Stephen & John Bridge tenants of Mr. Russell rent £10½
31 Dec 1762 - 26 Nov 1770 Smarden Poor Rate John Bridge (not Stephen) tenant of Mr. Russell rent £10½
26 Dec 1765 -27 Dec 1776 Smarden Poor Rate Stephen Bridge tenant of James Ottaway rent £2
26 Jul 1771 Smarden Poor Law The Overseers "agreed to give S. Bridge £1 for house rents for Jno Bridge's family".
This provides a further link: Stephen2 is looking after the family of John3, who died 1771.
1780 to 1787 Barkley Hundred Land Tax Stephen Bridge Omenden borough, tenant of James Ottaway tax 3s
30 Aug 1782... Smarden Poor Law Stephen Bridge and wife receiving regular support
30 May 1785 Smarden Baptist records Steven Bridges member
30 May 1785 Smarden Baptist records Hana Bridge member
1788 Smarden Baptist Death Hana Bridge
13 May 1788 Smarden Poor Law Stephen Bridge and wife "up to their decease" 12/6d
17 May 1788 Smarden Baptist Death Steven Bridges
16 Dec 1788 Smarden Burial Hannah Bridge wife of Stephen dissenter
19 Dec 1788 Smarden Burial Stephen Bridge dissenter
It is clear that Stephen and Hannah both died in May; one would have expected them to be buried in the Baptist burial ground. Perhaps their daughter-in-law Margaret was responsible for the church burials? In June, between the deaths and the burials, Margaret married Henry Ottaway.
1788 Barkley Hundred Land Tax late Bridge Omenden borough, tenant of James Ottaway tax 3s
Presumed children of Stephen 2
5 Mar 1753 Smarden Marriage Sarah Bridge & William Brenchley both of Smarden
7 Jan 1756 Halden Marriage Stephen Bridge & Mary Judge Smarden & Halden
27 Feb 1756 Smarden settlements Stephen Bridge & Mary his wife to Bethersden
30 Oct 1812 Smarden Poor Law Matthew Bridge received £1/7/6
17 Jun 1814 Smarden Burial Matthew Bridge age 72 (b. 1741-2)
Family of Robert 3 Bridge of Smarden, ca.1735-1810...
Robert 3 is assumed to be the youngest son of Stephen 2 simply because the dates fit: Stephen 3 married in 1756, 27 years after Stephen 2, John 3 about 1762 and Robert 3 in 1764. He is not likely to have been the son of Robert  2 since he did not support Robert's widow, Anne.

The family of Robert 3 is easier to reconstruct since there are five birth dates (one from the older family bible and four calculated from other data). Furthermore, Y-DNA analysis has confirmed the blood link between James 1, Simon and Samual (though not that they necessarily were brothers).
date location record name description note
27 Jul 1764... Smarden Poor Rate Robert Bridge tenant of Mr. Love rent £8½
18 Oct 1764 Smarden Marriage Robert Bridge & Elizabeth Fuller both of Smarden
1766/7 Smarden Birth Robert Bridge Robert 4, presumed son from 1851 census
25 Jan 1769 Birth Fam. Bible James Bridge presumed son, named after Elizabeth's father
1773/4 Smarden Birth Simon Bridge presumed son from 1851 census
27 Jun 1777... Smarden Poor Rate Robert Bridge tenant of Mr. Love's heirs rent £11
1777/8 Birth Samual Bridge presumed son from settlement record
1780 to 1790 Barkley Hundred (Omenden) Land Tax Robert Bridge tenant of Sam. Bromley, Isaac Walter & Rich. Soughton 10s
16 May 1787 PCC Probate James Fuller of Smarden, carpenter Fuller family tree
Robert Bridge of Smarden, bricklayer (cousin by marriage)
"wearing apparel of woollen... one dozen common shirts, my manservant's bed with steddell... and two pairs of common sheets"
John Boorman & Elizabeth his wife brother-in-law, executors various holdings for life
After the deaths of J & E Boorman the three separate holdings, totalling about 28 ac, were to be divided equally between 15 different relatives (including Elizabeth Bridge) as tenants in common. This would appear to be a sure-fire recipe for civil strife!
1787/8 Smarden Birth Joseph Bridge presumed son 1851 census
1793 Barkley Hundred (Omenden) Land Tax Robert Bridge tenant of Richard Sears 10s
2 Jul 1794 Smarden Poor Rate Robert Bridge tenant of Mr. Love's heirs last record (rent now £12)
9 Dec 1795... Smarden Poor Rate Robert Bridge tenant of Mr. Fuller's heirs [i.e. John Boorman] rent £5¾
1796 to 1812 Barkley Hundred (Omenden) Land Tax Robert Bridge tenant of John Boorman 4s
10 Mar 1801 Smarden Census Robert Bridge householder in sole occupancy
4 residents (2 m. & 2 f.), 2 in trade
21 Apr 1808 Smarden Marriage Rhoda Bridge & Samuel Hope both of Smarden, witness Joseph Bridge
The name Rhoda was later given to three other girls in the family, two grand-daughters of Simon and a daughter of his elder brother Robert, so it is likely that this Rhoda was their aunt and great aunt. Joseph would have been 21 at the time and Rhoda perhaps four years older.
27 May 1811 Smarden Census Robert Bridge householder in sole occupancy
4 residents (3 m. & 1 f.), 1 in trade, 1 agric.
The changes in numbers of occupants are interesting: in 1801, Rhoda and Joseph were presumably living at home and Joseph (age 13, later a builder) was "in trade", probably helping his father. By 1811, Rhoda has married, Robert probably retired, Joseph still "in trade", so who is the extra agricultural worker? It could be Matthew.
31 Jul 1812 Smarden Poor Rate Robert Bridge Mr. Fuller's heirs last record, rent £6