Queen Elizabeth, in the place of the Italian Peter Vannes. Here he was a contemporary of Foxe, the martyrologist, and Harding, the chief opponent of Jewell. On 26 Feb. 1570-1 the queen issued her significavit in his favour to the archbishop, and he was duly elected bishop of Exeter on 1 March. After a declaration of the queen's supremacy and doing homage, the temporalities of the see were restored to him on the 14th. He is still termed B.D. (State Papers, Domestic, Eliz. vol lxxxii.) His election was confirmed the next day, and he was consecrated at Lambeth on the 18th by Archbishop Parker and Bishops Horne and Bullingham of Winchester and Worcester. Although Wood says 'he laudably governed the see for about eight years,' his administration was somewhat halting and void of vigour, the weakness of age probably colouring his judgment and prompting him to love retirement. He exerted himself, however, to collect 250l. among the ministers of Devon and Cornwall for the use of Exeter College, whence his name is inserted in its list of benefactors. Oliver believes that either by his predecessor, Bishop Alley, or by him, portions of the palace at Exeter were taken down as being superfluous and burdensome to the diminished resources of the see. The bishop still kept up his scholarship. In 1572 the Books of Moses were allotted to him to translate for the new edition of the Bishop's Bible, at least to one 'W. E.,' whom Strype takes for 'William Exon.' Hoker, however, says (Antique Description of Exeter): 'He was a professor of divinity, but not taken to be so well grounded as he persuaded himself. He was zealous in religion, but not so forwards as he was wished to be.' In 1576, when papists on one side and schismatics on the other were troubling the church, a glimpse is obtained of Bradbridge's administration. He tried to reason with some Cornish gentlemen who would not attend church, but could not induce them to conform. At length as he saw 'they craved ever respite of time and in time grew rather indurate than reformed,' in compliance with an order that such should be sent up to the privy council or the ecclesiastical commission held at Lambeth 'to be dealt withal in order to their reducement,' he wrote on the subject to the lord treasurer, and sent up three, Robert Beckote, Richard Tremaine, and Francis Ermyn. He begged the treasurer to prevail with the archbishop or bishop of London 'to take some pains with them,' adding that 'the whole country longed to hear of their godly determination, viz. what success they should have with these gentlemen,' In the same year another dangerous opinion in his diocese troubled bim. A certain lay preacher, a schoolmaster at Liskeard, affirmed that an oath taken on one of the gospels 'was of no more value than if taken upon a rush or a fly.' All Cornwall was greatly excited at this, and on the bishop proceeding to Liskeard the man maintained his view in writing. As the town was in such confusion that no trial could be held with any prospect of justice, the bishop remanded the case to the assizes. In the meantime he sent for Dr. Tremayn, the archbishop's commissary, and other learned divines, and consulted on the point, saying 'that truly the Cornishmen were, many of them, subtle in taking an oath,' and that if the reverence due to scripture were abated it would let in many disorders to the state. Unluckily Strype does not give the conclusion of these trials.
About this time the bishop was very uneasy regarding an ecclesiastical commission which he heard would probably be granted to several in his diocese. Dr. Tremayn headed a party against him, but the bishop withstood him, and wrote to the treasurer that the commission was not required, adding that 'he spake somewhat of experience, that his diocese was great, and that the sectaries did daily increase. And he persuaded himself he should be able easier to rule those whom he partly knew already than those which by this means might get them new friends.' Indeed he found the cares of his position so heavy that he earnestly supplicated the treasurer (11 March 1578) that he might be suffered to resign the bishopric and return to his deanery of Sarum, urging 'the time serveth, the place is open.' In his latter years he delighted to dwell in the country, which proved very burdensome to all who had business with him. Newton Ferrers was his favourite residence, the benefice of which, together with that of Lezante in Cornwall, the queen had allowed him to hold in commendam in consequence of the impoverished state of the see, as had been the case with his predecessors. Benefices were given to his successor also. At the age of seventy he embarked largely in agricultural speculations, which eventually ruined him. 'Hitherto,' says Fuller, 'the English bishops had been vivacious almost to a wonder; only five died in the first twenty years of Elizabeth's reign, Now seven deceased within the compasse of two years.' Among them was Bradbridge, who died suddenly at noon 27 June 1578, aged 77, no one being with him, at Newton Ferrers. Izacke (Memorials of Exeter) sums up the opinion of him, 'a man only memorable for this, that nothing memorable is
