Bidingfeyle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Bidingfeyle reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Bidingfeyle family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bidingfeyle family lived in the county of Suffolk, at Bedingfield which dates back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was recorded as Bedingefelda. [1] The place name literally means "open land of the family or followers of a man called Beda," from the Old English personal name + "-inga" + "feld." [2] Edwin Bedingefeld was recorded in Suffolk in 1095.

Early Origins of the Bidingfeyle family

The surname Bidingfeyle was first found in Suffolk at Bedingfield (Bedingfeld) a parish, in the union and hundred of Hoxne. "The living [of Bedingfield] is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £8, and in the gift of J. J. Bedingfield, Esq., whose family received their name from the parish." [3] Early records show Peter de Bedingfeld gave property to Snape Priory in the 12th century.

Walkelin de Bedigfeld was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1198, Adam de Beddingefled in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1200 and Roger de Bedyngfeld in the Subsidy Rolls for London in 1332. [4]

The family settled here soon after the Conquest and claim descendancy from Ogenus de Pugis, also called Longueville, a Norman knight who fought at the Battle of Hastings at the side of Duke William. [5]

Descended from him was Sir Thomas and his brother Sir Peter, ancestors of the Bedingfields, who were living in 1350 at Ditchingham Hall in Norfolk. "The Bedingfelds of Ditchingham, in this county, are a younger branch parted from the parent stem as early as the middle of the fourteenth century. " [6]

Early History of the Bidingfeyle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bidingfeyle research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1479, 1509, 1523, 1553, 1554, 1583, 1586, 1593, 1595, 1613, 1632, 1636, 1648, 1651, 1654, 1660, 1661, 1680, 1686, 1687 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Bidingfeyle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bidingfeyle Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Beddingfield, Bedingfield, Bedingfeld, Bedingfeil and many more.

Early Notables of the Bidingfeyle family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Edmund Bedingfield or Bedingfeld (1479-1553), made a Knight of the Bath in 1523; Sir Henry Bedingfield (1509-1583), Lord Chief Justice of England; and his son, Thomas Bedingfield (died 1613), English gentleman pensioner (bodyguard) to Elizabeth I of England; Anthony Bedingfield (died 1651), an English merchant and politician; Philip Bedingfield (died 1660), an English landowner and politician who sat in...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bidingfeyle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bidingfeyle family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Bidingfeyle name or one of its variants: Walter Beddingfield who landed in America in 1750.

The Bidingfeyle 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: Aquila non captat muscas
Motto Translation: The eagle is no fly-catcher.

Citations +

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