Bidolph History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Bidolph comes from the Old English personal name Bita. Alternatively, the name could have been "derived from an official title, 'the beadle,' one who executed processes or attended proclamations." 1

Early Origins of the Bidolph family

The surname Bidolph was first found in Somerset, where John le Bedal, was recorded 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of Edward III) in Kirby's Quest. 2 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Geoffrey le Bedel in Kent, Martin le Bedel in Norfolk and Walter Bidellus in Lincolnshire. 1

Early History of the Bidolph family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bidolph research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1615, 1652, 1662, 1738, 1745, 1750, 1774, 1775, 1778, 1779, 1786, 1821 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Bidolph History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bidolph 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 Bidolph has appeared include Biddle, Biddell, Biddelle and others.

Early Notables of the Bidolph family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Henry Biddulph of Biddulph; John Biddle or Bidle (1615-1662), born at Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, an influential English nontrinitarian, and Unitarian, often called "the Father of English Unitarianism"; Nicholas Biddle (1750-1778), one of the first five captains of...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bidolph Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bidolph migration to the United States +

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 Bidolph arrived in North America very early:

Bidolph Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rich Bidolph, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 3

Citations +

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.
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)