Biddulph - Name

This name is of English locational origin from a place in Staffordshire called Biddulph. The name derives from the Olde English pre 7th century 'bi' meaning 'by' plus 'dulf' or 'dylf' a derivative of 'delfan' to dig i.e. a mine or quarry. Biddulph therefore is taken to mean 'the place by the mine'. It is first recorded as Bidolf in 'The Domesday Book' of 1086 and as Bydulf in the 1291 'Taxatio Ecclesiastica' documents of Staffordshire. The surname from this source is first recorded at the end of the 12th century. Other spellings of the name have included 'de Bydoulf' (1285) and 'de Bydulfe' (1332). In 1598 one Michael Biddulph of Staffordshire is recorded in The Oxford University Register. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas de Bidulf which was dated 1199 The Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire during the reign of Richard I Richard the Lionheart 1189-1199 Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.