Birdsmore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the Birdsmore family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Dorset. The original derivation of the name, however, is not related to that area, but is probably a geographical reference to some lost town, village, or parish. It is plausible that this place was in Staffordshire, as the name is extremely common in that area. 1

Early Origins of the Birdsmore family

The surname Birdsmore was first found in Dorset, where they had been granted lands by their liege Lord, William the Conqueror, after the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Birdsmore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birdsmore research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Birdsmore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birdsmore Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Beardmore, Beardsmore, Berdmore, Berdsmore, Birdmore, Beedsmore and many more.

Early Notables of the Birdsmore family

More information is included under the topic Early Birdsmore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Birdsmore family to Ireland

Some of the Birdsmore family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 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 Birdsmore family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Birdsmore or a variant listed above were: John Beardmore who arrived in Maryland in 1774.

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)