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| Origins Available: |
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The founding heritage of the Biddement family is in the Anglo-Saxon culture that once dominated in Britain. The name Biddement comes from when one of the family worked as a person hired to pray for another's soul after his death. The surname Biddement is derived from the Old English terms bede, which means prayer, and man, which means man. In medieval England, there were also beadhouses, or almshouses for the poor, where the inhabitants were required to pray for their benefactors. In a publication by Skelton in 1528, he wrote of Other smale mynisters, as reders and singers, bedemen and bellringers.
The surname Biddement was first found in Somerset, where they held a family seat from the Middle Ages.
Lawrence Bedeman or Stevine (fl. 1372-1410), was a supporter of Wycliffe who appears first, in 1372, as a scholar of Stapeldon Hall. He was ultimately rector, holding this office from 1379 to 1380. After this he was made rector of Lifton, in Devonshire, and held this benefice as late as 11 June 1410, when he was licensed to preach in Latin or English. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Biddement research. Another 200 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1372, 1381, 1410, 1500, 1659 and 1793 are included under the topic Early Biddement History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Biddement has been spelled many different ways, including Beadman, Bedman, Bedeman, Bedemon, Beadmann and many more.
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Biddement Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Biddements to arrive in North America: Elizabeth Beadman who arrived in Virginia in 1650.