| ![Show Contents]() Bignold History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient history of the Bignold name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in one of two places. Some bearers of the surname Bignold 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 Bignold familyThe surname Bignold was first found in Somerset and Warwickshire, where Thomas de Bikenhulle was the first on record in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1214. Later, John de Bikenhull and Walter Bykenhulle were listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. 3 Early History of the Bignold familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bignold 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 Bignold History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bignold Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Bignold include Bicknell, Bicknall, Bickenell, Bickenall, Bickenhall, Bickwell, Bignell, Bignall, Bignold, Bicknoll, Bignal, Bignel, Bignoll and many more. Early Notables of the Bignold familyNotables of the family at this time include 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 subsequently entered at St. Mary's Hall. After taking the degree of B.A. he was ordained and set up as a schoolmaster. In 1645 he was made rector of St. Peter-le-Bayly, Oxford, but was ejected from his benefice for scandalous conduct...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bignold Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bignold family to IrelandSome of the Bignold 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 Bignold familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bignold or a variant listed above: Zachary Bicknell, originally of Somerset, England, who settled in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1635; Thomas Bicknell settled in Providence, Rhode Island in 1770.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Bignold (post 1700) | + |
- Thomas Bignold (1761-1835), English founder of Norwich Union, now known as Aviva plc, one of the United Kingdom's largest insurance businesses
- Samuel Bignold (1791-1875), English businessman, third and youngest son of Thomas Bignold[
- Pam Bignold (b. 1982), Australian footballer
- Marie Bignold (1927-2018), Australian politician who was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council for the Call to Australia Group
- Arthur Bignold (1839-1915), Scottish politician, who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wick Burghs from 1900 to 1910
- Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
- 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)
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