Bodeham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The present generation of the Bodeham family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having 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 Bodeham family

The surname Bodeham 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 Bodeham family

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

Bodeham Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Bodeham include Bedingham, Beddingham, Bedinham, Bodingham, Bedyngham, Bedyngeham and many more.

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

Migration of the Bodeham family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Bodeham were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: a number of settlers who arrived by the 19th century.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)