Early Origins of the Biddock family
The surname Biddock 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 Biddock family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Biddock research.
Another 241 words (17 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.
Biddock Spelling Variations
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.
Early Notables of the Biddock family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Biddock Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Biddock family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Biddock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- George Biddock, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anna Maria" in 1849 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ANNA MARIA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849AnnaMaria.htm - John Biddock, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anna Maria" in 1849 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ANNA MARIA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849AnnaMaria.htm
Biddock Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- George Biddock, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ernestina" in 1865