Bedle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Bedle came 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 Bedle family

The surname Bedle 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 Bedle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bedle 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 Bedle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bedle Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bedle family name include Beadell, Beadle, Beadles, Beedle, Beedell, Bedle and others.

Early Notables of the Bedle 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 Bedle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bedle migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Bedle surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Bedle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Bedle, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Bedle (post 1700) +

Joseph Dorsett Bedle (1821-1894), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1864; Associate justice of New Jersey State Supreme Court, 1865-75; Governor of New Jersey, 1875-78
Bennington R. Bedle, American politician, U.S. Consul in Sheffield, 1897

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)
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)