Bidingfeile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Bidingfeile is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bidingfeile family lived in the county of Suffolk, at Bedingfield which dates back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was recorded as Bedingefelda. 1 The place name literally means "open land of the family or followers of a man called Beda," from the Old English personal name + "-inga" + "feld." 2 Edwin Bedingefeld was recorded in Suffolk in 1095.

Early Origins of the Bidingfeile family

The surname Bidingfeile was first found in Suffolk at Bedingfield (Bedingfeld) a parish, in the union and hundred of Hoxne. "The living [of Bedingfield] is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £8, and in the gift of J. J. Bedingfield, Esq., whose family received their name from the parish." 3 Early records show Peter de Bedingfeld gave property to Snape Priory in the 12th century.

Walkelin de Bedigfeld was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1198, Adam de Beddingefled in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1200 and Roger de Bedyngfeld in the Subsidy Rolls for London in 1332. 4

The family settled here soon after the Conquest and claim descendancy from Ogenus de Pugis, also called Longueville, a Norman knight who fought at the Battle of Hastings at the side of Duke William. 5

Descended from him was Sir Thomas and his brother Sir Peter, ancestors of the Bedingfields, who were living in 1350 at Ditchingham Hall in Norfolk. "The Bedingfelds of Ditchingham, in this county, are a younger branch parted from the parent stem as early as the middle of the fourteenth century. " 6

Early History of the Bidingfeile family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bidingfeile research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1479, 1509, 1523, 1553, 1554, 1583, 1586, 1593, 1595, 1613, 1632, 1636, 1648, 1651, 1654, 1660, 1661, 1680, 1686, 1687 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Bidingfeile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bidingfeile Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Bidingfeile are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bidingfeile include Beddingfield, Bedingfield, Bedingfeld, Bedingfeil and many more.

Early Notables of the Bidingfeile family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Edmund Bedingfield or Bedingfeld (1479-1553), made a Knight of the Bath in 1523; Sir Henry Bedingfield (1509-1583), Lord Chief Justice of England; and his son, Thomas Bedingfield (died 1613), English gentleman pensioner (bodyguard) to Elizabeth I of England; Anthony Bedingfield (died 1651), an English merchant and politician; Philip Bedingfield (died 1660), an English landowner and politician who sat in...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bidingfeile Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bidingfeile family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Bidingfeile, or a variant listed above: Walter Beddingfield who landed in America in 1750.

The Bidingfeile Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Aquila non captat muscas
Motto Translation: The eagle is no fly-catcher.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.