Bultitude

This very unusual surname is English but probably of pre 10th century French origins. It almost certainly derives from the French "boult" or "boulter", and as such describes a chef, but one specifically concerned with the presentation and cooking of meats. The famous Victorian etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley quotes from the household ledgers of King Henry V1 of England in 1455 "that in the bakehouse there were thirteen officers, of whom six were bulters", which would seem to confirm the origin. If this is correct the original "boulters" probably came to England with William, The Conqueror, in 1066, however the "Bultitudes" are much later. In the register of the church of St Andrews, Holborn in 1670 is the recording of John Boulterage, almost certainly of French, and possibly Huguenot protestant refugee status. It is from this man or his descendants that the modern surname may have developed. We believe that in the 18th century the spelling was changed to Bultitude to hide its original ancestry, anything French being highly unpopular. This was not an unusual practice. We have a number of recordings from that period and these include George Bultitude at St Lukes church, Finsbury Square, London, on January 16th 1780, and William Bultitude of Sculcoates, Yorkshire, on May 29th 1803. The first of all recordings may be that of Geoffrey le Boulter, in the Hundred Rolls of Berkshire, in the year 1273.