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Beedle History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Beedle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Beedle is a name that dates far back into the mists of early British history to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. It is derived from the name of a medieval court official called a beadle. A beadle performed similar duties to those of a bailiff in a modern court of law, as well as acting as a sort of town crier, and later as a constable of the parish. 1

Early records of the name mention Brictamarus Bedel of the County of Suffolk who was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 2

Early Origins of the Beedle family

The surname Beedle was first found in the North Riding of Yorkshire, at Bedale, a market-town, parish, and the head of a union, chiefly in the wapentake of Hang-East, but partly in that of Hallikeld. "The houses are in general of brick, and irregularly built; the air is pure, and the neighbourhood, which is well cultivated, affords many pleasant walks and much picturesque scenery. " 3

As an occupational name, the name can be found in a wide variety of spellings over much of ancient Britain. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include: Geoffrey le Bedel, Kent; Martin le Bedel, Norfolk; and Walter Bidellus, Lincolnshire. 4 The "le" meaning "the" denoted the occupational nature of the name and that last entry found there was in the Latin form.

Kirby's Quest noted John le Bedal, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 5

Historically it was "a well-known office. In [the] Domesday Book, we have, among the greater tenants. Godwin Bedellus, and "Beaellus quidam Regis," a certain beadle, apparitor, or messenger of the King. " 1

In Scotland, the variant Beedles was principally found. "An old Scots surname, perhaps the possessive of 'Beadle,' from the office. One of this name may have given origin to Biedlieston in parish of Dyce, Aberdeenshire." 6

Early History of the Beedle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beedle research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1327, 1578, 1613, 1632, 1650 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Beedle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beedle Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Beedle are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Beedle include: Beadell, Beadle, Beadles, Beedle, Beedell, Bedle and others.

Early Notables of the Beedle family

Distinguished members of the family include John Beadle (died 1667), an English clergyman and diarist. He was the author of the 'Journal or Diary of a Thankful Christian.' He matriculated at the University of Cambridge on 8 July 1613 and was...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beedle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beedle Ranking

In the United States, the name Beedle is the 12,899^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Beedle migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Beedle or a variant listed above:

Beedle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Tho Beedle, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 8
Alice Beedle, who settled in Virginia in 1650
Mice Beedle, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 8
Edward Beedle, who landed in Virginia in 1654 8
John Beedle, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Beedle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francis Beedle, who landed in Virginia in 1702 8
Robert Beedle, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 8
Mercy Beedle, who settled in Maryland in 1775

Beedle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Evan Beedle, who arrived in New York in 1851 8
Stephen Beedle, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 8

Beedle Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Daniel Beedle, (b. 1880), aged 23, Cornish miner, from St. Stephens, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Cedric" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 21st March 1903 en route to Hancock, Michigan, USA 9

Beedle migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Beedle Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Joseph Beedle and his wife settled in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Beedle (post 1700) +

George E. Beedle, American Republican politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly from Waupaca County 2nd District, 1903-06 11
Ernest Beedle, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1960 11
William Beedle (1918-1981), birth name of the Academy Award-winning American film actor William Holden
Ashley Beedle (b. 1962), British house music producer

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html