Bettingham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Bettingham comes from when the family resided in either of the places called Bodenham, in Herefordshire and Wiltshire, or in the settlement of Bodham, in Norfolk. The place-names are derived from the Old English personal name Bota, which experts theorize is derived from the Old German boto, from the Germanic root bud, which means to announce, and the Old English word ham which means homestead or settlement. Thus, the surname signifies a person who lived at or near Bota's settlement.

Early Origins of the Bettingham family

The surname Bettingham was first found in Herefordshire at Bodenham, a parish, and anciently a market-town, in the union of Leominster, hundred of Broxash [1] situated on a bend in the River Lugg, about seven miles south of Leominster. The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Bodeham [2] and literally meant "homestead or river-bend of land or a man called Boda," from the Old English personal name + "hamm." [3] Hugh de Bodenham, Lord of Bodenham, grandfather of Roger who lived in the reign of Henry III is the ancestor of the family. [4]

Early History of the Bettingham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bettingham research. Another 229 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1206, 1273, 1296, 1461, 1525, 1401, 1403, 1409, 1559 and 1610 are included under the topic Early Bettingham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bettingham Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bettingham has been recorded under many different variations, including Bedingham, Beddingham, Bedinham, Bodingham, Bedyngham, Bedyngeham and many more.

Early Notables of the Bettingham family (pre 1700)

Distinguished members of the family include John Bodenham, High Sheriff of Herefordshire (1401-1403); John Bodenham, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1409; John Bodenham (c. 1559-1610), an anthologist and...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bettingham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bettingham family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bettingham or a variant listed above: a number of settlers who arrived by the 19th century.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.