Brodeenham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the name Brodeenham dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from a member of the family who worked as a maker of ropes or cords.

Early Origins of the Brodeenham family

The surname Brodeenham was first found in Norfolk, at Bradenham, a village and civil parish that dates back to before the Domesday Book where it was listed with the same spelling. 1 The place name literally means "broad homestead or enclosure" derived from the Old English words "brad" + "ham". 2

The first record of the family was found here in the Pipe Rolls of 1177 when Suift de Bradenham was recorded as holding lands at that time. 3

Later the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Richard de Bradenham, Norfolk; and Alan de Bradinham, Huntingdonshire. 4 In 1337, Richard de Bradenham was also recorded in Norfolk. 5 The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III recorded William de Bradenham, Norfolk, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of King Edward I.'s reign.)

Bradenham is also a village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, near Saunderton. This village also dates back to the Domesday Book 6 where it was listed as Bradeham. Bradenham Manor is a grand red brick manor house that dates back to the 13th century when it belonged to the Earl of Warwick.

Bradnam Wood is a 12.5-hectare (31-acre) Local Nature Reserve west of Maidenhead in Berkshire and is managed by The Woodland Trust.

Early History of the Brodeenham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brodeenham research. Another 280 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1177, 1273, 1337, 1500, 1612, 1699, 1739, 1750, 1769, 1781 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Brodeenham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brodeenham Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Brodeenham has undergone many spelling variations, including Bradnam, Bradenham, Bradinham, Bradinam, Bradnem and others.

Early Notables of the Brodeenham family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Suift de Bradenham, a prominent 12th century landholder in Norfolk; and Matthew Brettingham (1699- 1769), known as Matthew Brettingham the Elder, an 18th-century Englishman who rose from humble origins to supervise the construction of Holkham Hall, Norfolk and eventually became one of the country's better-known architects. 7His...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brodeenham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brodeenham family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Brodeenham were among those contributors: a number of settlers who arrived in the New World by the 19th century.

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print