After a two-year-long wait, the first part of the highly anticipated Season 3 of Bridgerton returned to Netflix this month with a brand new love story for fans to sink their teeth into. Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington’s simmering friends-to-lovers arc continues to captivate fans, and they await the second part with bated breath. The last scene of Season 3, Episode 4, “Old Friends,” shows Colin asking for Penelope’s hand in marriage, thus growing the already large Bridgerton family even further.
Period shows have always fascinated viewers around the world as they get a peek into the very different life that people led in days gone past. The Bridgerton family was an aristocratic one in the Regency Era — a time that was marked by prosperity, leisure, and romance for the upper classes. Raised with love, it was a happy family of eight siblings, which kept blooming as the siblings grew up and settled into married life. For curious viewers, here’s the complete Bridgerton family tree. For this piece, information from the TV show is used for the siblings whose seasons have been broadcast, and information from the book is used for those who do not have a season yet.
Violet Ledger Marries Edmund Bridgerton
Born in 1766 to Lord and Lady, Violet married Viscount Edward Bridgerton when she was twenty years old. Edmund was the 8th Viscount Bridgerton and a doting husband and father. He and Violet were a love match, and they led extremely joyful lives together. Together, they had eight children, but tragedy struck in 1803 when Violet was pregnant with Hyacinth.
Edmund went out for a hunt with his oldest son, Anthony, and a freak accident took his life. Just as they returned to Aubrey Hall, Edmund decided to pick hyacinths for his wife. A bee stung him, and Edmund had a fatal allergic reaction to it, leading to his immediate death. Edmund’s death left Violet in a state of deep sadness and heartbreak until she picked herself up to settle her children in marriage.
Anthony Bridgerton Was the Eldest Son
Anthony inherited his father’s title at the tender age of nineteen, making him head of the family when he should have enjoyed his boyhood. With extreme responsibility thrust on his shoulders, Anthony dedicated himself to becoming a father to his siblings and a support to his mother, neglecting his own self and his needs.
Anthony did not believe in love, which was why he courted Edwina Sharma, the youngest of Lady Mary’s daughters who had returned from India, because she seemed like a good match on paper. However, Anthony could not deny his heart, and he developed feelings for Kate Sharma, her elder sister. After a forbidden romance and much anguish, Anthony and Kate got married. Together, they shared four children: Edmund, Miles, Charlotte, and Mary.
Benedict Bridgerton Is the Second Born
In the Regency Era, the firstborn always got titles, inheritances, and consequently, a purpose. As the second son, born in 1786, Benedict faced some issues with his identity as he tried to figure out his own purpose, but his natural inclination towards art made him a student and then a renowned Regency Era painter.
Benedict had a Cinderella-esque love story with Sophie Beckett, illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Penwood, in An Offer From a Gentlemen. Sophie was mistreated by the Earl’s second wife, Araminta, even though the Earl himself cared for his daughter. Sophie and Benedict kept meeting under mysterious circumstances until he asked her to marry him. They had three sons and a daughter: Charles, Alexander, William, and Violet.
Colin Bridgerton Married His Longtime Friend, Penelope Featherington
The star of Bridgerton Season 3, Colin Bridgerton, had found his life partner early on, but it took him some time to realize it. First betrothed to Marina Thompson, Colin called off his early engagement because Marina was pregnant and planned to pass off the child as Colin’s. Colin loved traveling, so he often took off on world tours, staying in touch with his friend Penelope Featherington through it all.
When he returned to the ton in 1815, he was met with Penelope seeking a husband, Eloise associating with Cressida, and his own changed feelings. While trying to find a husband for Penelope, Colin falls in love with his best friend himself. The midseason finale saw him proposing to Penelope. According to Romancing Mister Bridgerton, they shared four children: Agatha, Thomas, Jane, and George.
Daphne Bridgerton Was the First Bridgerton to Get Married
Bridgerton began with Daphne’s story, the fourth Bridgerton child, but the eldest daughter. In the Regency Era, women married earlier than men, which was why she debuted on the marriage mart in 1813, when she was only twenty-one years old. As the Diamond of the season, Daphne had the Queen’s favor and the interest of Prince Friedrich of Prussia, but her game of fake courting Simon Bassett, the Duke of Hastings, turned into real feelings.
After a duel and little fanfare, Daphne married the Duke, who initially lied to her about his ability to procreate. However, when Daphne helps Simon heal his childhood wounds, he allows himself to grow his family. In Season 1’s finale, she was seen giving birth to a child, who was introduced as baby Augie in Season 2.
Eloise Bridgerton Is the Second-Eldest Bridgerton Daughter
Of all the Bridgerton siblings, Eloise was the most progressive and forward-thinking. While she made her debut in 1814, Eloise wasn’t interested in marriage, and she envisioned herself as a spinster along with her best friend, Penelope. Eloise had an attraction to Theo, the apprentice at the paper shop, but their obvious social differences kept them apart.
After a fallout with Penelope, Eloise is seen cultivating a friendship with Cressida Cowper in Season 3 of Bridgerton, with a changed opinion of marriage and her future. According to To Sir Phillip, With Love, Eloise finds love in an unconventional manner — through her letters to Sir Phillip Crane, the widower of Marina Crane. It remains to be seen if this is the story that is followed for the TV show.
Francesca Bridgerton Faced Tragedy
The sixth sibling of the Bridgerton family, Francesca’s arc has already begun in Season 3 of the show. Born around 1797, Francesca made her societal debut in 1815. Unlike her siblings, she did not show much anxiety; instead, she focused on her pianoforte. Her passion and talent for tunes earned her the title of Incomparable from Queen Charlotte herself.
Francesca met Lord Samadani at the Queen’s behest, but it was John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin, who caught her eye as he took a real interest in music with her. While their story remains unexplored as of now, John and Francesca’s marriage takes an awry turn in When He Was Wicked when John passes away. Francesca then finds love again in Michael Stirling, John’s first cousin, and their union produces two children named John and Janet.
Gregory Bridgerton Was the Youngest Son
Born in 1801, Gregory was only two years old when Edmund passed away at Aubrey Hall. This was when he returned to London with his mother and siblings, ready to start life afresh. Gregory did not remember much about Edmund, and Anthony had been more of a father to him as his elder brother. While fans will have to wait a long time to see Gregory’s romance onscreen, his book On the Way to the Wedding provides insight.
A believer in true love, Gregory falls for Hermione Watson, except she isn’t very interested in him at all. Hermione’s friend, Lucinda Abernathy, loves Gregory from afar, but by the time he realizes he’s chasing the wrong girl, even more catastrophe occurs. However, Bridgerton is known for happy endings, and when that does happen, Gregory and Lucy grow an enormous family of nine children.
Hyacinth Bridgerton Was the Youngest In the Family
The very last Bridgerton child, Hyacinth was born in 1803. She never met her father but thought of him fondly from everything her mother and siblings told her. Smart, outspoken, and fluent(ish) in Italian, she offers to translate a diary for Gareth St. Clair in It’s In His Kiss. Gareth’s father is trying to impoverish him and prevent him from getting his inheritance, and the key to his problems lies in the diary.
Gareth was Lady Danbury’s grandson and Gregory’s best friend. After much ado, Hyacinth and Gareth got married, which made Hyacinth into a Baroness. They had two children, George and Isabella.
