Origins Available: English,
French
The name Begude thought to be of Norman heritage. It is a name for a person who was a Norman or an excessively religious person.
Normans were referred to as Bigots by the French, although the meaning of the word is unknown. After the 15th century, a
nickname adapted from the phrase
by God took on the form
Bigot. There is some suggestion that the name in
Normandy had been Wigot, and there was a line descended from Wigot de St.Denis, a great nobleman of
Normandy.
Early Origins of the Begude family
The surname Begude was first found in
Essex at Dunmow and Finchingfield, where they were granted lands by King William after the
Norman Conquest in 1066. Roger Bigod is also listed in Domesday Book; he was a Sheriff, with large land holdings in
Essex,
Norfolk and
Suffolk. Marston-Biggott in
Somerset was an ancient
family seat. "This place derives the affix to its name from the Bigott family, to whom the manor for several centuries belonged, and the site of whose ancient mansion is still marked by the moat."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Early History of the Begude family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Begude research.
Another 399 words (28 lines of text) covering the years 1096, 1095, 1177, 1182, 1225, 1266, 1107, 1144, 1150, 1221, 1209, 1270, 1245, 1306, 1066, 1166, 1227, 1214, 1522, 1150, 1220 and 1298 are included under the topic Early Begude History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Begude Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of
spelling variations. When the
Normans became the ruling people of
England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Bigot, Bigode, Bygod, Begod, Bigod, Wigot, Bidgood and many more.
Early Notables of the Begude family (pre 1700)
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Roger le Bigod (1150-1220), son of Hugh Bigod, 2nd Earl of
Norfolk, who was recorded on the Falkirk Roll. This...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Begude Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Begude family to Ireland
Some of the Begude family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Begude family to the New World and Oceana
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in
England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Begude or a variant listed above were: Richard Bidgood who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1638; and V. Bigot who settled in San Francisco Cal. in 1851. In Newfoundland, Benjamin Bidgood was a juror in St. John's in 1751.