Piddocke

This unusual and interesting name represents a dialectual variant of the medieval vernacular "Petercock" one of the many forms of the personal name "Peter". The great popularity of "Peter" as a given name throughout Christian Europe is evidenced by the wide variety and proliferation of diminutive and patronymic forms that the original name has generated. "Peter" derives from the Greek name "Petros", from "Petros" rock or stone, and was the name bestowed by Christ on the apostle Simon bar Jonah with the words "Thou art Peter and upon this rock, I will build my church". The modern surname "Piddock" can also be found as "Pidduck", "Piddocke" and Piddick" where the suffix "cock" forms a diminutive as in "Pet(er)cock". Susanna Pidduck, daughter of Thomas and Joane was christened at St. Bartholomew the Great in London on the 30th June 1639. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gilbert Pittcok, which was dated 1273, in the "Cambridgeshire Hundred Rolls", 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.