Susan2000 on Family Tree Circles

Searching for more information regarding the family of John and Mary BIGGS, whose son John was born in Buckinghamshire around 1770. John Jr. married Martha THACKTHWAITE, and their son WILLIAM BIGGS was born in 1797 in Iver, Buckinghamshire, England. William moved to London and married Emily LEWIS (1799-1868). Their children were all baptized at All Souls Church, Marylebone, London, England. William was an upholsterer in London for most of his life, but he retired to Oxford where he lived with his son, Frank Lewis Biggs. We presume he died in Oxford.

We would like to know more about the origins of this family.

According to "Patronymica Britannica: A Dictionary of the Family Names of the United Kingdom" (p. 345) by Mark Antony Lower (published in London, England in 1860 by John Russell Smith of 36 Soho Square), "thwaite" is a Saxon word whose meaning is somewhat disputed, but which is generally understood to mean an area that has been cleared of forest. Surnames ending in this word originated in northwestern England, specifically in the counties of Cumberland, Westmoreland and North Lancashire. There is a village named Thackthwaite in the old county of Cumberland, which borders Scotland. The ancient county became part of Cumbria in 1974. It is reasonable to suppose that families with the surname THACKTHWAITE originated in the general region of that village or at least in old Cumberland County.