Biddell is one of the oldest family names to come from the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the Old English personal name Bita. Alternatively, the name could have been "derived from an official title, 'the beadle,' one who executed processes or attended proclamations." [1]
The surname Biddell was first found in Somerset, where John le Bedal, was recorded 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of Edward III) in Kirby's Quest. [2] The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Geoffrey le Bedel in Kent, Martin le Bedel in Norfolk and Walter Bidellus in Lincolnshire. [1]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Biddell research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1615, 1652, 1615, 1662, 1750, 1778, 1738, 1779, 1774, 1775, 1786, 1844, 1745 and 1821 are included under the topic Early Biddell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Biddell has undergone many spelling variations, including Biddle, Biddell, Biddelle and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include: Henry Biddulph of Biddulph; John Biddle or Bidle (1615-1662), born at Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, an influential English nontrinitarian, and Unitarian, often called "the Father of English Unitarianism"; Nicholas Biddle (1750-1778), one of the first five captains of...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Biddell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Biddell were among those contributors: