The endeavor came to nothing, likely because Christianity was associated in the minds of many local planters with the notion of freedom, and because Blair and Bridges lacked the energy necessary to see the project through. Bridges remained friendly with Byrd, being mentioned in his diaries as a visitor to Westover twice, in August 1739 and January 1740. He was one of the witnesses to the will of Sir John Randolph in 1735. One of his daughters died in Williamsburg on August 24, 1736; that December, he rented a house in town for the duration of a year. He then moved to Hanover County, where he stayed until returning to England, sometime around 1744. He died in his native Northamptonshire, and is buried in the church of Warkton. Descendants of the painter have been traced in the United States. It has been suggested that Bridges' decision to return to England may have served as a prompt for William Dering to begin portrait painting, and some historians have surmised that Dering purchased painting supplies from Bridges prior to the latter's departure. Only a handful of portraits by Bridges are documented with certainty, including a number mentioned by Byrd in his letter to Spotswood, one of William Gooch, and one of "Mrs. Mann Page II and Child" today owned by the College of William and Mary. Based on these known paintings, a body of work has been developed; there are, however, numerous uncertainties of attribution. Bridges did not sign his work, and other documentation is lacking; this, coupled with the uneven condition of surviving paintings, precludes certain identification of many pieces. Further complicating the problem is the lack of a significant number of works from England to provide stylistic evidence; there are also indications that another painter, hitherto unidentified but stylistically similar, was active in the colony in the 1720s. Bridges' style can be identified by a variety of mannerisms of technique and color. He used broad brushstrokes in the delineation of faces, hair, and fabrics. Features, especially eyes, were drawn carefully and precisely. Colors are usually muted, and red is often used to define shadows. The composition of many portraits is similar, with the heads and figures turned slightly to one side and the subjects looking directly out at the viewer. Besides the aforementioned works, portraits attributed to Bridges on the basis of style include "William Prentis", "Augustine Moore", "Mrs. Augustine Moore and Child", "Mann Page II", and "John Bolling, Jr."