Bedman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Bedman comes from when its first bearer worked as a person hired to pray for another's soul after his death. The surname Bedman 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.

Early Origins of the Bedman family

The surname Bedman 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

Early History of the Bedman family

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

Bedman Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Bedman include Beadman, Bedman, Bedeman, Bedemon, Beadmann and many more.

Early Notables of the Bedman family

More information is included under the topic Early Bedman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bedman migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bedman or a variant listed above:

Bedman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Delius S Bedman, who landed in Minnesota in 1871 2

Bedman migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bedman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Clothier Bedman, aged 34, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874
Amelia Bedman, aged 35, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874
George Bedman, aged 6, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)