Correspondence

Fan mail and other missives.

A Piddington from across the Pond!

Now we're not just about fun and frolics - oh no FAR from it - well all right not that far but when it comes to helping out a distressed citizen of the U.S.A. we'll jump straight in feet first.

I am writing to you from the U.S.

My maiden name is Piddington and am trying to trace my great-great grandfather's heritage.

Just recently I have been told about this web site, and have enjoyed reading the articles posted on the sight.

Now I am hoping you will take a moment to correspond with me.

There is no way I could possibly attend the dig this year.

I am interested in the history of the Piddington name.

CAN YOU HELP ME?

Deborah Piddington-Adrian

My response was swift and decisive - palm her off onto someone else...

I have asked some friends who have done some research on Piddington whether they know anything about the origins of the name.

There are two other Piddingtons and also a Poddington in England but none of them are more than a small village.

There's a Piddington Mountain in Australia and a fair number of people with that surname in the US. I've not heard of any English families called Piddington.

I will let you know if I learn any more.

Ed!

And yet she still wanted to know more! It even looked as if she were interested in visiting our humble festival when in England. Did she understand the reality of the bleak and desolate field that in our minds alone appears to be the biggest fun fest of all time?

Thank you for your quick response!

Tell me about your event? My husband and I visited London last fall and now are discussing coming back to England in the future. So tell me about your event? What happens etc.

Now tell me, the area in the [Web site address witheld to protect the guilty] that is being excavated... the name of that area is Piddington, correct?

and that name dates back to _________? And wouldn't that be a family sight?

There are families in England with the Piddington name...I have corresponded with 2 so far. They had only traced the name back to mid 1800's.

Would you be able to put me in contact with the friends that you spoke of who have done research on the name.

Again thank you for taking the time to answer my e-mail and look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Deb Adrian

By now my trusty network of academics had begun to respond to the request for information...

Now I did find out some stuff about Pidders history, though I can't recall exactly where I discovered these facts, I'll have a search about round here when I get a moment; the facts though were:

  1. That Pidd is a classic "pudding sack village", due to it's main thoroughfares being shaped like a pudding sack - oo-er!
  2. That Piddington is derived from a Saxon word meaning settlement on a river.

I will verify these things and report back soon.

Tim

Tim Chamberlain
Curator
Archaeological Espionage Group
MI5


All I know is what is widely known-the name comes from Saxon of indeterminate date. "Ing" comes from ingas meaning people of, "ton" means something like town or place, as in Northamp-ton. Pid is of unknown origin, but is likely to be at least part of a proper noun and may pre-date the Saxon elements of the name, making it of Post-Roman/Romano-British date. So its: The people of the town/place of Pid. Its the Pid element that remains enigmatic but would give some clue as to the origin of the name. The rest is generic Saxon.

Mel Costello
Department of Archaeology
Faculty of Litters
University of Gredding

This seemed to hit the spot!

Thank you so much. I feel like I am taking baby steps... but already I am further ahead that I was last week!

Now tell me about the function you have displayed on your Website.

How did this function originate?

What all do you do?

Deb Piddington-Adrian

My next question is how would I begin to trace the family name?

I understand there are 3 small villages named Piddington How can I obtain some printed literature on these sites.

My main goal is to trace the family name, eventually to find where our family came from.

Mathew Piddington-(DOB February 1815 near Liverpool)-Married in England to Elizabeth Oldham-(DOB August 3 1815 near Manchester)

Deborah Piddington-Adrian

I don't think any of us have researched the family Piddington. Still Tim was pulling out more information on the place

Further to researches for overseas friends of Piddington I have unearthed the following which I thought might be of interest to everyone:

(first is one particularly for Jonny G, methinks!)

THE DOOMSDAY BOOK [1086] entry for Piddington, Northamptonshire reads:
THE LAND OF THE COUNTESS JUDITH [...] IN SPELEHOU HUNDRET: GILBERT [de Blossevill] holds of the Countess 1 hide and 3 virgates of land in PIDENTONE [Piddington]. There is land for 4 ploughs. In desmesne there is 1 [plough], with 1 serf; and 4 villeins, with 5 bordars and the priest, have 2 ½ ploughs. There [are] 20 acres of meadow. Wood[land] 4 furlongs in length, and 2 in breadth. It was worth 20 shillings; now [it is worth] 40 shillings. Two men of Burred's held [it], and could betake themselves [ire] where they wished. Bishop Geoffrey [of Coutances] claims [it], and Winemar de Anlepe [also].
[taken from: The Victoria Counties History of Northamptonshire]

(this one I think Mel will appreciate)

Also in THE DOOMSDAY BOOK:
"Poddington" is listed as being called "Puddington"

The following comes from "The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names" [4th Edition] by Eilbert Ekwall, 1960.

Northamptonshire:

Pidentone [Doomsday Book, 1086]
Pedinton [1167]
Pudinton [1298]

Oxfordshire:

Petintone [Doomsday Book, 1086]
Pydentona [c.1160]
Pidinton [1187]
Pedinton [1212]

[Piddington is Buckinghamshire not mentioned]

Meaning derived thus:

TUN of PUIDA or PYDDA or his people. Puida is recorded. Pydda would be related to Puda.

TUN originally meant 'enclosure' or even 'fence.' In English place names 'tun' as a rule has the meaning 'homestead' or 'village.'

THE DOOMSDAY BOOK only left out one important thing, which perhaps should have read:

"Righto there! DAVE NUNN holds of the Countess Judy the Jeezabell 1 alehouse and many barrels of ye Bombardier."

Tim Chamberlain
Curator
Archaeological Espionage Group
MI5

Tim had definitely gained himself a new friend...

Good to hear from you.

First, I appreciate ANY information you can give me, so the first e-mail was not confusing at all.

Thank you for taking the time to explain The Fringe Festival for me.

While spending a couple of days in London last October, I located some Piddington's in the telephone book. Upon returning to work I searched out the name and sent e-mails out to as many Piddington's as I could. One James Piddington stationed in Germany responded to my e-mail, and from his contact I received your Website along with this site members.aol.com/unarchsoc/membership.html

Perhaps you can understand my excitement in just corresponding with any Piddington other than our small family from Wisconsin, and finding that there are 3 Piddingtons in England. Our family are a proud group who have a great love for family and fun. Great Great Grandfather Piddington came to the states and homesteaded the property, raised several children that populated a small area of country side with a wood mill, flour mill and even had a country grade school named after one of the off spring. We can not locate his port of entry, and lost track of one brother that went west to mine gold. Just to locate an area that Mathew could have originated from is very interesting.

So great hearing from you, please do not hesitate to continue writing. Are you familiar with the above Website? I am considering ordering some of the brochures from this site. If you have an opinion on any of these...please let me know.

Deb Adrian