Show ContentsBedynghan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient roots of the Bedynghan family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Bedynghan comes from when the family lived in either of the places called Bodenham, in Herefordshire and Wiltshire, or in the settlement of Bodham, in Norfolk. The place-names are derived from the Old English personal name Bota, which experts theorize is derived from the Old German boto, from the Germanic root bud, which means to announce, and the Old English word ham which means homestead or settlement. Thus, the surname signifies a person who lived at or near Bota's settlement.

Early Origins of the Bedynghan family

The surname Bedynghan was first found in Herefordshire at Bodenham, a parish, and anciently a market-town, in the union of Leominster, hundred of Broxash [1] situated on a bend in the River Lugg, about seven miles south of Leominster. The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Bodeham [2] and literally meant "homestead or river-bend of land or a man called Boda," from the Old English personal name + "hamm." [3]

Hugh de Bodenham, Lord of Bodenham, grandfather of Roger who lived in the reign of Henry III is the ancestor of the family. [4]

Early rolls give a glimpse of the many spelling in use over the centuries. Robert de Bedingham was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Norfolk in 1206; William de Bedyngeham was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296; and Richard Bedyngham was recorded in 1461. [5]

Early History of the Bedynghan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bedynghan research. Another 236 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1206, 1273, 1296, 1401, 1403, 1409, 1461, 1525, 1559 and 1610 are included under the topic Early Bedynghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bedynghan Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Bedynghan has appeared include Bedingham, Beddingham, Bedinham, Bodingham, Bedyngham, Bedyngeham and many more.

Early Notables of the Bedynghan family

Distinguished members of the family include John Bodenham, High Sheriff of Herefordshire (1401-1403); John Bodenham, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1409; John Bodenham (c. 1559-1610), an anthologist and...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bedynghan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bedynghan family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Bedynghan arrived in North America very early: a number of settlers who arrived by the 19th century.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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