Bickers

This unusual and interesting name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is an occupational name for a beekeeper. The derivation is from the Olde English pre 7th Century word 'beocere', in Middle English 'biker'. The modern surname has three main forms, Bicker, Bikker and Bickers, the later being the patronymic form, meaning 'son of the beekeeper'. Honey was the only form of sweetening available in the Middle Ages in England, so beekeeping and bees were very important. Honey was also a useful preservative. The name development has included Reginald le Bikere (1207, Suffolk), Jordan the Bekere (1286, Cheshire) and John Bickers (1721, Yorkshire). Elizabeth Bickers was married to Richard Sleigh on the 8th December 1775 at St. James's, Westminster. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert le Biker, which was dated 1176, in the Staffordshire Pipe Rolls, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as the Builder of Churches, 1154 - 1189. 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.