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The name Birdeck was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Birdeck family lived in Leicestershire. This surname, however, is a reference to the family's former district of residence, "Bordet," Normandy, where they held a family seat as Lords of Cuilly. Another source notes: "Hugh and Robert Burdet occur in Domesday, the family hail from some spot in Normandy, and 'came in with the Conqueror.' " 1
Later, William Burdett, held lands in Potton, Bedfordshire in 1214 and Nicolas Burdett held by service of half a knight's fee in 1284.
The surname Birdeck was first found in Leicestershire where the family can be traced to "Hugo de Burdet, who came into England with William I, and was lord of the manor of Loseby in 1066." 2
Arrow in Warwickshire was for a long time the family seat of the Burdetts but was passed to the Conways in the reign of Henry VI which resulted in many lawsuits which remained unsettled until the end of the reign of Henry VIII.
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: William Burdet, Leicestershire; and Stephen Burdet, Lincolnshire while the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Nicholaus Burdet, franktllyn; and Gilbertus Burdet, faber. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birdeck research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1536, 1602, 1630, 1636, 1640, 1642, 1658, 1668, 1671, 1675, 1679, 1701, 1704, 1713, 1716, 1719, 1727, 1747, 1788, 1804 and 1967 are included under the topic Early Birdeck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Birdeck are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Birdeck include Burdett, Bordet, Bourdet, Burdet, Burdit, Burditt and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was George Burdett (c. 1602-1671), English settler to America in 1636, the second colonial governor of the Upper Plantation of New Hampshire; Sir Francis Burdett, 2nd Baronet, from the Warwickshire branch of the family; his son Sir Robert Burdett, 3rd Baronet DL (1640-1716), a Tory politician; and Sir Robert Burdett, 3rd Baronet (1640-1716) from Warwickshire and Debyshire who...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Birdeck Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Birdeck, or a variant listed above: Christ Burdett who settled in Virginia in 1648; George Burdett settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1620; William Burdette settled in Virginia in 1639; George Burdet settled in New England in 1635.