Bridgewaters History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Bridgewaters

What does the name Bridgewaters mean?

Bridgewaters is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived at Bridgewater, a seaport in Somerset.

Early Origins of the Bridgewaters family

The surname Bridgewaters was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Bridgewaters family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bridgewaters research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1532, 1556, 1563 and 1596 are included under the topic Early Bridgewaters History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bridgewaters Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bridgewaters family name include Bridgewater, Bridgwater, Bridgewatter and others.

Early Notables of the Bridgewaters family

John Bridgewater (1532?-1596?), an English Catholic divine, the Latinized form of whose name is Aquepontanus. He was a native of Yorkshire, though 'descended from those of his name in Somersetshire.' "He received his education at Hart Hall, Oxford, whence he migrated to Brasenose College soon after he had taken his degrees in arts, that of...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bridgewaters Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bridgewaters family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Bridgewaters surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Elizabeth Bridgwater who arrived in New England in 1746; Richard and his wife Isobel Bridgwatter who settled in Virginia in 1623; Robert Bridgewater settled in Virginia in 1730.