Early Origins of the Biddick family
The surname Biddick was first found in
Durham where they held a
family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of
Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a
Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all
England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the
Domesday Book,
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the
tenant of the lands who was recorded in the
Domesday Book census of 1086.
Early History of the Biddick family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Biddick research.
Another 241 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1510, 1600 and 1540 are included under the topic Early Biddick History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Biddick 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 Biddick, Bidick, Bidock, Biddock, Byddick, Bydick and others.
Early Notables of the Biddick family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Biddick Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Biddick 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 Biddick or a variant listed above were:
Biddick Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Fred Charles Biddick, aged 40, who settled in America from Wadebridge, England, in 1908
- Florence G. Biddick, aged 20, who landed in America from Somerset, England, in 1909
- Alfred Cyril Biddick, aged 23, who landed in America from Somerset, England, in 1909
- Ellen S. Biddick, aged 33, who landed in America from Scorrier, England, in 1910
- Edith Biddick, aged 33, who emigrated to America from Cornwall, England, in 1913
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Biddick (post 1700)
- Kathleen Biddick, Professor of History at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA