Boddington families

Family notes for Nicholas BODINGTON and Joan

Nicholas' probate is done in 1554, he is listed as Nicholas BODINGTON of Great Harborough and his wife Joan is also BODINGTON in 1557. This family sometimes recorded their name as BODDNGTON, BODYNGTON or BODDYNGTON. Interestingly, I can not see a signature on any of the early Wills, so I don't know who wrote them - a scribe, a solicitor? Maybe this explains the discrepancies in the spellings. [390]

This is the point in history when there was considerable confusion about the spelling - BODDINGTON, BODINGTON, BODDYNGTON or BODYNGTON. In the 16th century the families themselves may well have been illiterate, so the spelling required for a variety of documents and registers was down to whoever was making the record. The language was in the midst of change from old English to a more modern style, and the spelling of the words was changing as well. BODYNGTON was old style and seems to have been dropped about this time. However, both BODDINGTON and BODINGTON seem to have persisted, each down it's own family line. Hence today we have substantial numbers of lines of each spelling. [Webmaster]

Notes for Nicholas BODINGTON

On a personal note, my own family of BODDINGTON first shows up in Ryton-on-Dunsmore in 1784, just about 6 miles distant from Great Harborough, Harborough Magna today. Some research was undertaken for me to try and find a connection between the two lines of family, but the only evidence of a possible relationship was that some records of the BODINGTON family included spelling of BODDINGTON. My inclination is to believe that there was a connection. [Webmaster]

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