Bignel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Bignel

The origins of the Bignel name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in one of two places. Some bearers of the surname Bignel derive their name from the parish of Bickenhill, which lies seven miles from Birmingham in the county of Warwickshire. 1

Bickenhill Church is a parish, in the union of Meriden, Solihull division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of Warwickshire. "This place is of considerable antiquity, and included Kington, or Kingsford, now partly in this parish and partly in that of Solihull." 2

Other members of the family come from the parish of Bickenhall, otherwise known as Bicknell, which is near Taunton in the county of Somerset. 2

Early Origins of the Bignel family

Early History of the Bignel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bignel research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1310, 1318, 1349, 1611, 1629, 1645, 1660, 1695, 1723, 1788, 1796, 1861 and 1948 are included under the topic Early Bignel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bignel Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Bignel were recorded, including Bicknell, Bicknall, Bickenell, Bickenall, Bickenhall, Bickwell, Bignell, Bignall, Bignold, Bicknoll, Bignal, Bignel, Bignoll and many more.

Early Notables of the Bignel family

• Henry Bignell (1611-1660?), English divine, born in the parish of St. Mary, Oxford, in July 161, son of Foulk Bignell of Souldern, Oxfordshire. In 1629 he became a servitor of Brasenose College, and s...

Migration of the Bignel family to Ireland

Some of the Bignel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bignel family

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Bignel family emigrate to North America: Zachary Bicknell, originally of Somerset, England, who settled in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1635; Thomas Bicknell settled in Providence, Rhode Island in 1770.