Keith wrote ........... Remember that at some point in time, no one had surnames. So > eventually you will run into all kinds of distant relatives with varied > surnames that track back to one man way back when... He may have been a > "Carpenter" that took-up building "Bridges" and may have even been a > "Cartwright" for a while. My understanding is that it is likely that the Bridges in East Anglia may have originated from Brugges in Belgium - the name was then corrupted ..... Brugges . . . . Bridges. Having been researching for over 34 years, I have yet to confirm this idea ;-) Pat ... Every time I find an ancestor - I have to find two more! The Suffolk Surnames List - Plus a whole lot of Suffolk information at *** www.suffolk-surnames-list.co.uk *** Is your Suffolk Surname Listed ??? AVG7-Pro anti-virus updated daily