Bidgoode History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Bidgoode originated with the Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled Britain. It is derived 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 Bidgoode family

The surname Bidgoode 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 Bidgoode family

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

Bidgoode Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Bidgoode has appeared include Bidgood, Bidgoode, Biddgood, Biggegod, Bydgood and many more.

Early Notables of the Bidgoode family (pre 1700)

Distinguished members of the family include John Bidgood (1624-1690), a leading member of the College of Physicians. He was the son of Humphrey Bidgood, an apothecary of Exeter, was born in that city 13 March 1624. "His father was poisoned in 1641 by his servant, Peter Moore, a crime for...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bidgoode Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bidgoode family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Bidgoode arrived in North America very early: Richard Bidgood, who arrived in Boston in 1638.

Citations +

Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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.