Bedson - Meno

This interesting surname is either a patronymic or metronymic from the medieval personal name "Bett", itself a pet form of Bartholomew, Beatrice or Elizabeth. Hence "Bedson" comes from "Bet(t)son", the son of Bett, due to differences in pronunciation the "t" became a "d". One of the earliest recording in records of the original surname dates from 1379, when one Johannes Beteson and a Gilbertus Bet are mentioned in the "Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire". A John Betts was entered in the "Register for Oxford University" for Kent in 1590. Early spellings of the name include "Bettessone", "Bettes" and "Betson". Modern spellings include "Bett(i)s(on)", "Bettson", "Betts" as well as "Bedson". The last of these is first recorded in the 17th Century. At the church of St. Dunstan, Stepney, London, Elizabeth Bedson married John Roberts on March 25th 1662. In the same church on December 20th 1672, one Edward Bedson, son of Edward and Mary was christened. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Bettessone, which was dated 1329, "A Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds", Huntingdonshire, during the reign of King Edward 111, "The Father of the Navy", 1327 - 1377. 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.