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The history of the name Bishopp begins in the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It was a name for a person who portrayed a bishop in a medieval play, a person with an ecclesiastical bearing, or one who had been elected as a boy-bishop for the festival of St. Nicholas' Day. 1 2
The surname Bishopp was first found in an area "confined south of a line drawn from the Wash to the Dee. It is at present most numerous in the western half of this area, the county of Dorset containing the greatest number." 3
Biscop was listed in Northumberland in the Domesday Book and later, Bissop was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1195. 2
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed a wide variety of early spellings found throughout this area: John le Bissup, Oxfordshire; William Bisscop, Norfolk; Henry Biscop, Lincolnshire; Elvena, relicta Peter Bissop, Cambridgeshire; and Alice Bissop, Oxfordshire. 1
Later, Bissop atte Combe was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327 and the Pipe Rolls listed Lefwinus Bissop in Northumberland in 1166. 2
The Biscoe variant was principally found in Yorkshire where William Birscowe and Robert Biscowe were listed in 1463. 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bishopp research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1426, 1551, 1554, 1601, 1610, 1611, 1612, 1613, 1624, 1625, 1627, 1628, 1632, 1634, 1660, 1661, 1665, 1672, 1675, 1676, 1679, 1681, 1682, 1683, 1684, 1687, 1691, 1692, 1737, 1748, 1785, 1786, 1793, 1804, 1806, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1836, 1839, 1845, 1847, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1861 and 1880 are included under the topic Early Bishopp 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, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Bishopp are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bishopp include: Bishop, Bisshop, Bisshope, Bishope, Bishoppe, Bischoppe and many more.
Notables of the family at this time include
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Bishopp or a variant listed above: