The surname Biddock was first found in Durham at either North Bidick, a hamlet, partly in the parish of Washington, and partly in that of Whitburn, or South Bidick, a township, in the parish of Houghton-le-Spring, union of Chester-le-Street.
Both place names literally mean "dweller by the ditch," from the Old English words "bi + "dic." [1]
Biddick Hall is a small privately owned 18th-century country mansion at Bournmoor, County Durham, near the City of Sunderland and Chester-le-Street.
Another Biddick Hall is found in the town of South Shields, in Tyne and Wear, England.
The first on record was Adinet de Bidyk who was listed here in 1276. Years later, William de Bydik was listed in the the Assize Rolls of Northumberland in 1305 and John Bidyk was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Dorset in 1332. [1]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Biddock research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1510, 1600 and 1540 are included under the topic Early Biddock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Biddick, Bidick, Bidock, Biddock, Byddick, Bydick and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Biddock Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Biddock or a variant listed above: