Berridge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The history of the Berridge family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living on Beverege, an island in the Severn River, about 4 miles north of Worcester.

"Mr. Beveridge says the origin of the name is to be found in 'Beverege,' the name of an island in the Severn referred to by Florence of Worcester as a retreat of the Danes during a revolt of the English [in 1041]. The name, he correctly says, means 'Beaver island,' from Old English befer or beofer, and ig or ige, island." 1 Later known as Bevere Island, this island became a refuge once again during the Black Death.

Camden notes: "The existence of the beaver in Britain within historical memory seems proved by such names as Beverege, Beverley, perhaps but less likely Beverstone in Gloucestershire." He speaks of beavers in his time in the Teifi, but in Teifi only. Another source noted the name was derived from "Beferige, i. e. 'the Beaver's edge,' Several other local names in Befer, in that collection, show that the beaver was an inhabitant of this island in Saxon times." 2

While the name Berridge may have arisen in the southwest of England, it is generally associated with Yorkshire and Scotland.

Early Origins of the Berridge family

The surname Berridge was first found in Buckinghamshire where the first record of the family was Wido, William Beverage who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1212 and later in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey in 1230. Richard Bevereche was listed c. 1240 in Huntingdonshire. The Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1280 list William Bauerich. 3 This latter source notes the origin of the name as having derived from the Middle English word "beuerage," or the Old French word "bevrege, buverage" meaning "drink, liquor for consumption." By far, the lion's share of sources claim that the name originates from the aforementioned Beverege Island with this source and one other eluding to the more contemporary use of the word.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Hugh Beverach, Cambridgeshire; Ralph Beverache, Cambridgeshire; Agnes Beverach, Cambridgeshire; Halter Beverage, Lincolnshire; and Thomas Beverage, Yorkshire. 4 Some of the family moved north into Northumberland and into Scotland about the year 1200.

In Scotland it was a name very difficult for the Scottish tongue, pronunciation and spellings became numerous. Here they settled in St. Andrews in 1302 where Walter Beverage is named as juror on an inquest at St. Andrews. Years later, Henry Beveragh was witness in Paisley, 1504 and a decree against Alexander Bauerage is recorded in 1531. David Beverage was cup-bearer to James V in 1534. 1

Early History of the Berridge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Berridge research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1636, 1637, 1704, 1708, 1890 and 1923 are included under the topic Early Berridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Berridge 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 Berridge include Beveridge, Belfridge, Belfrage, Beverage, Beveradge, Bevidge, Bevige, Berridge and many more.

Early Notables of the Berridge family

Distinguished members of the family include William Beveridge (1637-1708), an English clergyman, Bishop of St Asaph (1704-1708.) He was the "son of the Rev. William Beveridge, B.D., was...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Berridge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Berridge 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 Berridge or a variant listed above:

Berridge Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

I Berridge, who arrived in San Francisco California in 1850 5

Berridge migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Berridge Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Berridge, English convict from Worcester, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
William Berridge, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anna Maria" in 1849 7
James Berridge, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Louisa Baillie" in 1849 8
Thomas Berridge, aged 18, a baker, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Violet"

Contemporary Notables of the name Berridge (post 1700) +

John Berridge (1716-1793), English evangelical clergyman, the eldest son of John Berridge, a wealthy farmer of Kingston, Nottinghamshire 9
Major Harold Berridge CIE, OBE (1872-1949), British civil engineer and mechanical engineer
Elizabeth Berridge (1919-2009), award-winning British novelist and critic
Bob Berridge (b. 1959), British racing driver
Sir Michael John Berridge FRS (b. 1938), British physiologist and biochemist, co-winner of the 1994/95 Wolf Prize in Medicine
John Berridge McCuish (1906-1962), American politician, 34th Governor of Kansas in 1957, 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Kansas (1955-1957)
John Berridge Spencer (1934-2016), New Zealand business magnate who was managing director of Caxton Pulp & Paper

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ANNA MARIA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849AnnaMaria.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The LOUISA BAILLIE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849LouisaBaillie.htm
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 June. 2019