Bilderbeck Family

Sir John D'Monte
died 1821

James Bourdillon Bilderbeck
1851-1933

Henrich BILDERBECK, 1596 to 1671 is the earliest known person. He was the Superintendant of Schwerin in Germany. This tree comes forward to around 1750 where there is an uncertain link with the present family.

For our family, the earliest known person is Christopher BILDERBECK, born about 1758, later a pearl merchant in Madras, India. Some of the family were involved with an Indigo Factory at Colachel, Travancore.

His nephew, Christopher Bilderbeck D'MONTE who's father is shown left, toured Europe as a young man. He is believed to have been present at the ball that Lady Richmond gave in Bussels for the Duke of Wellington on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo.

Most of the family had left India (Madras and Simla areas) before Independance; some had already moved to Britain before the First World War.

James Bourdillon BILDERBECK, shown above left, was the Principal & Professor of English Literature at the Presidency College, Madras. On his return to England he became Librarian of St Catherine's College Cambridge from 1910-20 where he re-catalogued The Library and wrote on Chaucer & other literary subjects.

One member of the family served with 224 Squadron of RAF Coastal Command flying Lockheed Hudsons from Leuchars, Scotland during World War II. We would welcome any information from former members of this squadron.

The family are resident in Britain together with the related WOODS-SCAWEN and FROST branches. There are also family members in Canada, New Zealand and U.S.A.

Families that are related to the Bilderbeck family are:

ANDRIEU-(Toulon and Paris), BAINES, BOND, BRAND, CANN-(London), CAIN-(U.S.A.), CARVALHO-(Madras), COOKE, COOMBES,
DE MONTE-(Madras), DIAS, DUNCAN,
DYSON-(Derbyshire), DUNHILL, EBEL,
FRASER-(Norfolk), GOMEES, HOYSTED, INGLE,
KYNOCH-CLARK, LEES, MATTHEWS, MICHAUD, MILLER, NORMAN, OCHS, PRETYMAN-(Madras), REID, RÜHDE, SCAWEN, SHARLING, SHORT, TOWNSEND, VON DER LIPPE, VON KEMPE, VRIES, WEBB, WOODS, WOODS-SCAWEN, WOODLEY-(Bristol)