Show ContentsBedgood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Today's generation of the Bedgood family bears a name that was brought to England by the wave of emigration that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from "the Carlovingian Counts of Artois, whose descendants were advocates of Arras, Lords of Bethune, and Castellans of St. Omer, and were amongst the greatest nobles of Flanders." 1

Early Origins of the Bedgood family

The surname Bedgood was first found in Staffordshire and Warwickshire, where early records show Bago, or Bagod de Arras in 1075 witnessing a charter in Flanders and show he came to England shortly after the Conquest. Bago of Bagod d'Artas held Bromley in Staffordshire in 1086. 2 A few years later, Rodbert Bagod witnessed a charter of Geva, founding Canwell Priory c. 1140. "A most ancient family, also coeval with the Conquest, descended from Bagod, who at the time of the compilation of the Domesday Book held Bromley of Robert de Stadford or Stafford." 3

Sir Robert Bagod (died 1299) was an Irish judge appointed the first Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas in 1276. He built Baggotrath Castle in Dublin, but sadly no traces of the castle survive today. Born in Dublin, the son of Ralph Bagod; the Bagod family had come to Ireland in the 1170s with Strongbow. His son, Sir Robert Bagod (died after 1329) was an Irish judge, Crown servant and military commander in fourteenth-century Ireland.

Sir William Bagot (fl. 1397), was minister of Richard II, who appears early in his reign with Sir John Bussy and Sir Thomas Green as a member of his council. 4

Blithfield in Staffordshire was an ancient family seat. "The Bagot family, of great eminence and antiquity, possessed this and the adjoining estate of Bagot's-Bromley, at the time of the Domesday Survey. In 1195 Hervey Bagot married the heiress of Baron Stafford; his son assumed the surname and title of Stafford, and became progenitor to the succeeding barons and earls of Stafford, and dukes of Buckingham. Of that branch of the family resident at Blithfield and Bromley, was Sir John Bagot, Knt., ancestor of Hervey Bagot, who was created a Baronet in 1627: William Bagot was made a Baron in 1780.

Blithfield Hall, the family seat, is an ancient mansion with embattled towers and walls; it stands in the vale of the Blithe or Blythe, on a beautiful lawn, and contains a large and valuable collection of paintings, among which are portraits of many distinguished persons." 5

Early History of the Bedgood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bedgood research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1160, 1166, 1198, 1256, 1276, 1290, 1382, 1383, 1386, 1388, 1399, 1402, 1407, 1408, 1415, 1495, 1591, 1616, 1626, 1644, 1660, 1663, 1668, 1673, 1674, 1679, 1690, 1693, 1695, 1698, 1704, 1707, 1708, 1712, 1784, 1791 and 1838 are included under the topic Early Bedgood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bedgood Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Bagot, Bacot, Baggot, Bagott and others.

Early Notables of the Bedgood family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Richard Bagot, (c. 1256), Knight of Bagot's Bromley; his son Sir William Bagot (fl. 1276-1290), Knight of Bagot's Bromley; Sir John Bagot, Knight of Blithfield and Littlehay, Staffordshire was Lieutenant of Calais in 1408, later Ambassador to the Duke of Burgundy, and served with King Henry V at Agincourt in 1415; Sir William Bagot (died 1407), politician and administrator under Richard II, began career in politics in Warwickshire under the Earl of Warwick, served both John of Gaunt and his son Henry Bolingbroke, as well as Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, future...
Another 171 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bedgood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bedgood Ranking

In the United States, the name Bedgood is the 13,853rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Ireland Migration of the Bedgood family to Ireland

Some of the Bedgood family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 169 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bedgood migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Bedgood or a variant listed above:

Bedgood Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Bedgood, who landed in Maryland in 1671 7
Bedgood Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Capt. Bedgood, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1712 7

New Zealand Bedgood migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bedgood Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Bedgood, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Patriot

Contemporary Notables of the name Bedgood (post 1700) +

  • Phillip Burlette Bedgood (1898-1927), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Indians (1922 to 1923)

Halifax Explosion
  • Mr. George  Bedgood (1852-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 8
  • Miss Madeline  Bedgood (1915-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 8


The Bedgood Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Antiquum obtinens
Motto Translation: Possessing our ancient honour.


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)
  8. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance


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