This is a famous locational surname, today often associated with Cheshire and Lancashire, but originally from the two villages of the name in Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire. Both are recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Botintone and Botendone respectively, and both have the same Olde English pre 7th century translation of 'the place (tun) of the Bota people. The Bota's were a tribe who seem to have occupied a wedge across England, the name also being commemorated in the Oxfordshire village of Bodicote and the Wiltshire village of Bodenham, formerly 'Boteham' and also recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book. Locational surnames were either originally those of the Lord of the Manor, or were given as identification when for whatever reason, a person moved from his or her original homestead to another place, even the next village. In this case it seems that the villages were 'cleared' in the 17th century under the iniquitous 'Enclosure Acts' and the villagers split up, some going to London, whilst the others went north to Manchester. Examples of the surname recordings include Alexander Bodynton, who was christened at St Stephans Church, Coleman Street, London, on October 10th 1547, and Anne Boddington, christened at St Giles Cripplegate on April 16th 1665. On August 15th 1679, John Bodingham (?) was granted passage to New England on the ship 'Friendship of London', whilst on May 25th 1766, John Boddington, the son of Edward Boddington, was christened at Manchester Cathedral. The coat of arms has the blazon of a black field, on a silver chief, a semee of red cross crosslets fitchee, a demi lion issuant of the last. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Bodinton, which was dated 1293, the 'Placita de quo Warranto' for Buckinghamshire, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as 'The hammer of the Scots', 1272 - 1307. 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.

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