Fidock

This very unusual name is of medieval English origin and is one of the many variant forms of a contracted locational surname deriving from the place called "Vaddicott" in Devonshire. The pronunciation of the letters "v" and "f" is so similar as to produce a variety of phonetic spellings, and this factor combined with the dialects of Devon and Cornwall has produced a range of surnames from "Vaddicott" which include "Viddick, Vad(d)ock, Vad(d)ick, Fid(d)ick, Faddock, and Fid(d)ock". The placename is first recorded in 1212 as "Faddecote", and means "Fadda's cottage" or "animal shelter", derived from the old English pre 7th Century personal name "Fadda", and "cot", a cottage or hut, specifically a shelter for animals. Records of this surname in Cornwall include Fetocke (1685), Fidick (1708) and Fiddock (1768). James Fidock was christened in East Newlyn in Cornwall in April 1805. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adrian Vadock (christening), which was dated 15th December 1596, St. Andrew's, Plymouth, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. 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.