I have been asked now on a number of occasions to come out and write why I am so passionate about the spelling of my family name and what evidence I have to support the correctness I insist upon.

I here challenge any of the incorrect publications to correct my findings with original authentic documentation and I will apologise and go away.

The spelling of the family name and source in one manuscript version of the 1563-4 Heralds Visitation of Yorkshire the surname occurs as Godrike (College of Arms Ms: H19/23) and in another as Godryke (College of Arms Ms: 1D5/1020). In the 1584-5 Heralds Visitation the same surname occurs as Gooderyck (College of Arms Ms: 2D5/39). Despite this it is very annoying when one family occurs under two obviously different spellings in a new source such as the Oxford D.N.B. (2004) particularly if there is another distinct family of one of the spellings. I see here no evidence of the terminal "H".

Visitation of Lincolnshire p157, & Lincolnshire Pedigrees pages 415, 416, 417.)

Thomas Goderyke Godryke Goodricke or Goodryke The Bishop of Ely spelt his name thus, when the 39^th and last Episcopal Lord Chancellor, keeper of the Great Seal. The correct mode of spelling for Thomas surname shows no terminal "h" it is Goodryke. During his service as Lord Chancellor he would often just sign himself as "Thomas Ely" we do have family letters to and from his brother Henry Goodryke at Hunsingore Manor at that time using the correct spelling. Regarding the origin and different modes of spelling, the name is Saxon, and the earliest spelling I have found in original documented and family records, is Godric (1200 - 1280) & Goodryke & Goderyke(1493-1540) to date the development of Goodrick Heraldry is another source that confirms this spelling. The Goodricke terminal "e" stayed with the line of Thomas Goodricke Bishop of Ely and brother Henry Goodricke of Hunsingore (Later at Ribston who died 1556), as it appears the terminal "e" from reliable evidence to have been adopted by this branch of our family.

The use of the terminal "E" in the seventeenth century was very erratic. The mistake is so often repeated of confusing the two families of Goodrick and Goodrich. This has given me, and my predecessors many occasion for fruitless inquiry. We have yet to find any authentic documentation or evidence to substantiate a connection between the two families. And I may state that I have never found any incorrectness in authentic documents and neither I nor any other that I know researching the Goodrick family knows of any connection between the two families subsequent to the year 1400. This is born out in several Grants of Arms at the Collage, also a Pedigree at The College of Arms. Ref Vol 2. D.14. P149, B Signed by Henry Goodrick and Richard Goodrick, 23^rd July 1678, along with recorded visitations by the heralds listed for the family along with that families pedigrees, the heraldry is very different for the Goodrich family. In the last one hundred years or so the name has been spelt by church recorders in many ways by sound which means accent plays a part by poor spelling and so on. But on close examination and exhaustive research Godric Goderyke Goodryke Goodricke & Goodrick are the family names and spellings recorded in authentic documentation and can be linked to a common source. I have collected family pedigrees going back to very early times and I promise you I have nothing to show any connection between the two family names of Goodrick and Goodrich. Thomas Goderyke Goodryke or Goodricke Bishop of Ely and 39th Lord Chancellors will also spells his name thus through out so he belongs good or bad to my family and not to Goodrich family at all.

Even the Lord Chancellor's office has acknowledged that the spelling might be incorrect after examining the family trees. The History of the Goodricke Family by C A Goodricke and up dates in the British Museum along with the various old visitations carried out by the heralds, I find by far the most accurate information available regarding the spelling on the name. I find it most frustrating that eminent scholars insist on using publications of question rather than researching authentic and original documents (The Oxford D.N.B.) (2004) for one. As a historian and family member I feel very frustrated that records containing mistakes are not amended even when substantial evidence has been submitted to allow this to be put right. "Certain medieval texts differ on the names, dates and spellings of those names." I believe that the Lord Chancellors office records contain some such mistakes of my ancestor. References found in the Department's own historical records of ancient and modern Lord Chancellors ; and cross-referenced in Richard John King's 'Handbook to the Cathedrals of England' 1862 (pub. John Murray, Albemarle St. Oxford) and Ely Cathedral by W.H. Fairbairns (pub. By the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge printed 1928 Campfield Press St Albans). Although the department carried out considerable research in the field, the office has not elaborated on the nature of that research apart from some source material. I quote "After making many comparisons across a number of publications, we concluded that the Handbook of British Chronology, Edited by Sir F Maurice Powicke LL.D., Litt.D., F.B.A and E.B. Fryde, D.Phil. 2nd Edit, published by the Offices of The Royal Historical Society would be our main source of information.  I am sure you will agree that this is a well respected and authoritative body and therefore, it is from this publication that the list on our web page was complied." Sorry no I do not agree. All of the source material listed consists of "authorities", i.e., other books and compilations of material at best, of a secondary nature. All this does is to compound the mistake. My family have spent several hundred years recording our wonderful old family, its achievements and failings, only to find that today’s generation use inaccurate publication and not authentic original documentation for research, historical fact the correct information (my primary objective) should be made available to all interested students.

Hopefully this has put forward the family opinion on the origin and of the spelling of our name.

And will make some of the well-read scholars sit up and do some proper research using authentic original documentation.

Also see (Goodrick Goodrich Goodridge Research).