Bredenie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Bredenie is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bredenie family lived in the town and parish of Bradney in county Somerset. The name was originally derived from the Old English word "bradeney," which means "the dweller at the broad island."

Early Origins of the Bredenie family

The surname Bredenie was first found in Somerset where the family claim descent from Sir Simon de Bredenie in 1346. 1 This is probably the same gentleman who was listed as Simon de Bradneghe in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. William de Bradney was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 2 Another source notes that Simon de Bardeneye was Mayor of Bristol in 1276 and Abbas de Bardeneye was listed in Lincolnshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 3

Early History of the Bredenie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bredenie research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1346 is included under the topic Early Bredenie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bredenie 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 Bradney, Bradnie, Bredenie and others.

Early Notables of the Bredenie family

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

Bredenie migration to the United States +

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 Bredenie or a variant listed above were:

Bredenie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Geoffrey Bredenie who landed in America in 1799

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)