BECKHAM
This is a copy of an article published in
The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper,
on 25th August 2003,
reproduced by kind permission of the author, the late Desmond Holden.
The “What's in a Name” series was a regular
feature in the Advertiser over the period 1993‑2004,
taking a refreshing look at the derivation of some typically
Derbyshire surnames.
Articles are confined to the origins and meanings of surnames,
and do not indicate any particular interest on Desmond's part in
the genealogy, descent, or family history of individuals bearing
the surnames featured.
Editor's Note: Articles are provided for general interest and
background only. They are not intended to provide an exhaustive treatise
for any individual family history - investigations of which may yield
quite different results. Or, in Desmond's own words:
“In the end it must remain with individual bearers of the names to
draw upon family traditions and to seek out such documentary
evidence as is available to decide the matter for themselves.”
WHAT'S IN A NAME …
Are you called BECKHAM?
This surname is frequently heard today. It is borne by the
well-known football sporting personality, David Beckham. So
many enquiries concerning it have been put to the present
writer that it has been selected for discussion although it
is not represented in the local directory. It is a location
name and originates from Norfolk. It comprises two sites:
East and West Beckham but they are so close as to constitute
a single entity in the local government of North Norfolk. At
what date they separated is uncertain: in the Domesday Survey
(1086) there is mention only of "Beccheham" and it takes
nearly 300 years for any separation to be noted: West Becham
(1300) and Est Bekkam (1379).
The two places stand a short distance south of the main
highway (A148 - Cromer-Holt) and less than 1½ miles
separates them:
The presence of a water course rising near East Beckham and
called "Scarrow Beck" could be misleading and encourage
speculation that it has something to do with the surname. It
is, however, a widespread expression descriptive of any
stream of less importance than a river. (Note "Becksitch" at
Belper).
The surname comprises two units: the Old English personal
name, "Beocca" and the long-established word "ham" which is
also Old English and can mean "settlement." The unit "Beocca"
occurs in several place-names in the adjoining counties and
can be detected as far as Lancashire and the West Riding.
Nothing is known about the "Beocca" of East Anglia but it
would seem that he was a personage of some standing. Whether
the same personage gave his name to the other places or it
was on account of personalities of the same name who lived
locally is indeterminate.
It may be suggested with some confidence that the name itself
is based on an Old English word "bacc" which is preserved in
a few other contexts. There is the term "pick" meaning "to
point out" as well as describing the tool often referred to
as "a pick-axe" (note: the sounds of "p" and "b" are
interchanged regularly in language development). There is, as
well, the word "beche" which is an implement used by miners
for certain types of drilling. The surname "Beck" also
includes a reference to being an occupational name and refers
to one who makes or wields a pick or mattock. It may be
significant that this surname is listed as being special to
Norfolk. Exactly what meaning our Anglo-Saxon predecessors
gave to the name "Beocca" (which later modifies to "Becca")
can only be a matter of inspired guesswork. But, just as a
man might clear ground through the energetic use of a pick-axe,
so also might the leader of a tribe clear away the
enemies of his people. The fact that such a personality could
have been a tribal chieftain is persuasively suggested in the
place-name "Beckingham" in the neighbouring counties of
Nottingham and Lincoln. It means "the place occupied by
Beocca's people". The unit "-ham" is found in countless place
names and can be interpreted more or less according to the
particular location. In the case of Beckham it is submitted
that it might carry the implication (of) its being a
strategic outpost for the chieftain. This view is supported
in that the Romans also selected it for a camp.
As a surname "Beckham" does not seem to have been widely
adopted. This might be that in Norfolk habitation names were
largely used to indicate origin and people seem more to have
been identified through occupational names. In any case
"Beckham" itself would not have been particularly well-known
beyond its immediate vicinity and would not be readily
recognised among a new community into which emigrants from
Beckham might have moved. Even today only a handful of names
are listed in the Norfolk directory. In fact only one
historical record of the name can be found: "Roger de
Beckham" in 1379 - it relates to West Beckham. However the
name seems to have crossed the Atlantic. There is a Beckham
County in Oklahoma and a town called "Beckham" in South
Carolina. One notable personality was Thomas Becon
(1519-1567). He was very insistent on being identified as a
native of Norfolk. He was something of a controversial
clergyman and is slightly associated with our Peak District.
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© Desmond Holden
From "The Peak Advertiser", 25th August 2003.
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