There is a hamlet in Lancashire, U.K. called "Bickerstaffe", which yours truly has visited. Although Bickerstaffe is not mentioned in the Doomsday Survey of 1086, the Parish came into existence soon after this date. The earliest record is found in the King's Pipe Roll, mid 12th century. From 1180 to 1208 many references are found in ancient documents, eg. the "Scarisbrick Charters" or "Testa de Nevill", but the main source of information is the records of Cockersand Abbey and Burscough Priory.

Etymologists give different explanations of the origin of the name "Bickerstaffe". They all agree that "staffe", "stad" or "stath" come from the Norse word "s'tad'r", which means "place". W. Farrar says that "staffe" comes from "stath", and was first used in the Lancashire Assize Rolls in 1267 AD. Some say "Bicker" comes from "Beocera" (Bee-keeper), or "Birce" (Burch) or "Bikarr" (Drinking cup) or "Biker" (Skirmish). However, Prof. E. Ekwall is probably right in saying that "Bicker" comes from the Scandinavian "By-kiarr" (By-water) or "Village-marsh". Bickerstaff therefore, probably comes from "By-kiarr Stad", ie. Place of the marsh village.

It has been stated that most of the Bickerstaff's around today originated in the village of Bickerstaffe and are descendants of Bernolf the Thane*, a Norman, who lived around 1100 AD. (* a member of any of several classes of men ranking between earls and ordinary freemen, and holding lands of the king or lord by military service)

The next steps in the chain (with known snippets of information) were as follows:

The earliest known of the lords was Ralph son of Bernolf, who granted two plots of land to the Knights Hospitalers. Ralph was succeeded by his son Adam de Bickerstath, who gave 3.5 acres of land to Cockersand Abbey. Adam was in turn succeeded by his son Ralph, who was holding the manor in 1212. Ralph was also a benefactor of Cockersand, and was mentioned in Pipe Roll 6 & Survey of 1212 AD. The succession for a time is uncertain. In the rental of the county for 1226 Alan son of Bernulf was said to be holding Bickerstaffe, paying the customary 5s, and in 1246 Alan de Bickerstath claimed a third of the manor against Adam de Bickerstath, Simon his brother, Gilbert de Rohel, and Roger and Walter de Bickerstath. On this occasion Alan withdrew his claim. Adam de Bickerstath's name frequently appears in charters and other public acts of the time, for example when he prosecuted John le Norvs in 1282 AD.

A medieval episode of "Dallas"

.... In 1290 Ralph de Bickerstath complained that Adam de Rainford and others had disseised him of a messuage and land in Bickerstaffe; on enquiry however the land was found to be in Rainford. He made a similar complaint against John de Waleys of Uplitherland and others; and the land in dispute was found to lie partly in Aughton and partly in Bickerstaffe. The plaintiff may have been Ralph son of Adam, though his father was still living. In 1294 Stephen de Bickerstath, Stephen de Renacres and others were accused of a similar offence against Ralph de Bickerstath; it was stated that Stephen had sold the lands one Sunday at the hour of vespers for 22 marks. Later (1313-14) Ralph de Bickerstath, Simon son of Stephen de Renacres, and others were accused of depriving Robert son of Simon de Bickerstath of common of pasture; and the same Simon de Renacres brought an action against Ralph and others ....

Yet more Ralph's and Adam's

Adam was succeeded by his son Ralph, a prominent man in the county, being Sheriff in 1308, 1310, 1312, 1314, and 1315, and knight of the shire in 1313. Ralph de Bickerstath received two-thirds of Bickerstaffe as recorded in the Edward 111 Roll. Ralph gave land to Burscough Priory in 1324. He took part in the rising of Thomas, earl of Lancaster, against Piers Gaveston, for which he was pardoned in October 1313. He was later killed at Preston on 4 November 1315.

Adam de Bickerstath, son and heir of Ralph, succeeded, holding the manor till 1346 or later. In 1331 he settled upon his wife Joan and his son Ralph "six messuages* and six oxgangs" in Little Eccleston in Amounderness, then in the possession of Henry de Bickerstath, and arranged the succession of two-thirds of the manor of Bickerstaffe, after his decease and the decease of his wife Joan, to Ralph and his issue. (* A messuage is a dwelling)

Ralph de Bickerstath's name appears frequently from 1347 to 1372. His son and successor was another Adam, the last of the principal line. His first appearance is in 1361, when he complained that certain persons, apparently his trustees, had been guilty of waste. He settled his estates in 1377 on his only daughter and heir Joan, who married Nicholas de Atherton.

"Although the senior branch of the family became extinct in the male line in the late 14th century, people with the surname Bickerstath (etc.), were still holding land at Bickerstaffe during the 15th century. It is impossible to say whether this is due to younger branches of the family continuing to hold land there, though that seems probable since land at Bickerstaffe had been in the hands of younger branches in the 13th century. During the 15th century there are occasional instances of the surname Bickerstaff appearing in various parts of Lancashire, but it is not possible to say if this is due to members of the family which had held Bickerstaffe migrating, or whether other families were acquiring the surname. For example, a John de Bykerstath was the bailiff of Liverpool in 1410, but he may have been someone who originated at Bickerstaffe, and migrated the moderate distance to Liverpool, to acquire there a name derived from his native village.

In the 16th century, the name Bickerstaff occurs in several parts of Lancashire. Several persons of the name appear as owners of land in central Lancashire, around Preston, and as burgesses at Preston itself. Possibly all of them may have belonged to a single family, but the relationship cannot be proved. In most parts of the country, however, the surname was either scarce or absent. Within Ormskirk parish, where the surname had originated in the 12th century it survived and became during the 16th and 17th centuries one of the more common names in the parish . . . Elsewhere in Lancashire it still remained rare or absent in the 17th century" (source: a book entitled Surnames of Lancashire)

Good lord - radicals in the family!

During the period 1649-50 a radical movement known as the "Diggers" was active in the Surrey area. Basically this was a group of people who objected to the feudal system whereby farmland was left idle at the whim of the local aristocracy, meaning that local people couldn't advance themselves or even went hungry, so they just started farming it (until thrown off).

"In midsummer Winstanley and two others, Thomas Starr and Henry Bickerstaffe, were arrested for trespass and brought to court in Kingston. They refused to hire a lawyer to plead for them on the grounds that doing so would make them "professed Traytors to this Nation and Common-wealth of England, by upholding the old Norman tyrannicall and destructive Lawes." Winstanley tried to present his case in the form of a paper, which was not held to be a proper pleading, so the Diggers were found in default for nonappearance. Bickerstaffe was imprisoned and Winstanley sentenced to pay a fine and costs of eleven pounds and nine shillings" (source: "The law of freedom in a platform" by Gerard Winstanley, edited by Robert W. Kenny ... ISBN 0-8052-0389-3).

(As an aside, the Digger movement was also used as somewhat of a model by some of those involved in San Francisco's Summer of Love "happening" in the 60's (man) ... I read this in a book called "Ringolevio" by Emmett Grogan).