John Bridges

John Bridges was the son of Canon Bridges, who came from a family of wealthy Scottish landowners. Educated at Winchester School and Oriel College, Oxford, Bridges was an excellent all-round sportsman. He was a football Blue and played in the very first Varsity Match against Cambridge in 1873/74. He captained the side in the game the following season and was also a member of the Oxford University squad that won the FA Cup final for the first time in 1874. Despite playing in the quarter-final win over the holders, Wanderers, and then Clapham Rovers in the semi-final, however, he never played in the win over the Royal Engineers in the final.

Bridges was also an excellent cricketer and, with his father, was one of the pioneers of the Beddington Cricket Club in its formative years. He played two First Class matches for Surrey in the 1876 season, scoring just nine runs from two completed innings. Apart from being a fine archer, Bridges was also an excellent rifle shooter, mostly on his Aberdeenshire estates. He was runner-up in the British National Archery Championships in 1904 but went one better the following year when he captured the title and, with it, the coveted Spedding Memorial Challenge Cup. At the 1908 London Olympics, Bridges finished a commendable fifth in the Double York Round and was the leading scorer from 60 yards.

Away from his sporting endeavours, Bridges was a Justice of the Peace (JP) for both Surrey and Aberdeenshire, where he and his wife divided their time. He was also the High Sheriff of Surrey in 1919-20, a post his grandfather Sir Henry Bridges held in 1813-14. John Bridges was a notable breeder of the famous Aberdeen-Angus cattle, which he introduced into England in 1876, and in 1905 he became the first English breeder to be appointed president of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society.

Bridges had six sons who all fought with distinction in World War I, and he was honoured to receive a personal letter from King George V expressing his thanks for the dedication given to their country by each of his sons.