Show ContentsBidgood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Bidgood family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from the Old English name Biggegod. The name is made up of two Old English elements: bigge, which means big or large, and god, which means good. "The Anglo-Saxon guth-boda would mean "a war messenger." The Old Norse bodi is a messenger, and gunn, gunnur, gud, Old High German, gund, gunt, war." 1

Early Origins of the Bidgood family

The surname Bidgood was first found in Somerset, where the earliest form of the name is Biggegod. 2

Kirby's Quest listed John Biggegod, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 3

Early History of the Bidgood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bidgood research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1349, 1369, 1524, 1606, 1621, 1624, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1690 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Bidgood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bidgood Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Bidgood include Bidgood, Bidgoode, Biddgood, Biggegod, Bydgood and many more.

Early Notables of the Bidgood family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • John Bidgood (1624-1690), a leading member of the College of Physicians...


Bidgood migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Bidgood were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Bidgood Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Richard Bidgood, (John Osgood), from Hampshire, who arrived aboard the ship "Confidence" in 1638 in New England and Boston stated. 4
Bidgood Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Bidgood, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 4

Bidgood migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bidgood Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Benjamin Bidgood was a juror in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1751 5
  • Philip Bidgood owned a fishery in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland in 1765 5
Bidgood Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Bidgood migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bidgood Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Bidgood, (b. 1815), aged 19, English baker who was convicted in Plymouth, Devon, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 27 September 1834, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
  • Henry Cook Bidgood, aged 43, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" 7
  • Henry C. Bidgood, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" in 1849 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Bidgood (post 1700) +

  • James Bidgood (1933-2022), American filmmaker, photographer and artist who lived and worked in New York City
  • Ruth Bidgood (1922-2022), née Jones, a Welsh poet and local historian who wrote in English
  • Henry "Harry" Bidgood (1898-1957), English composer, dance band leader and musical director the films I'll Turn to You (1946), To Hell with Hitler (1940) and Bell-Bottom George (1944), son of Thomas Bidgood
  • Thomas Bidgood (1858-1925), English conductor, composer and arranger, perhaps best known for his march Sons of the Brave, written in 1898, popular during the Boer Wars and later used in the film A Canterbury Tale (1944)
  • Jack Bidgood (1902-1975), Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in 1925
  • James Mark Bidgood (b. 1959), Australian politician, Member of the Australian Parliament for Dawson (2007-2010)
  • John Claude Bidgood (1914-2001), British Conservative Party politician, Member of Parliament for Bury and Radcliffe (1955-1964)

HMS Dorsetshire
  • William John Bidgood (d. 1945), British Chief Shipwright aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 8


  1. Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SIR EDWARD PARRY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849SirEdwardParry.htm
  8. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html


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