Recorded in many forms including Padrick, Pedrick, Pestricke, Pestridge, Petherick, Pethick, Petheridge, Pethybridge, Pitherick, and probably others, this is a surname of Cornish origins. It is residential from some place such as Petherick or Little Petherick, both in Cornwall, from the given pre medieval personal name Petroc or Pedrek, from the Greek Petros (Peter) meaning "The rock". St. Petroc is the local saint of Cornwall, of whom very little of historical value is known, but who is commemorated in several places including Sancte Petroces Stow, now Padstow. The surname would seem to date from the mid 16th Century, (see below), but earlier recordings may exist in unpublished charters. These church recordings include Austice Pedrick who married Richard Lea on January 26th 1589, at St Andrew's Plymouth, Devon, Elizabetha Pethericke who married Petrus Burnard at Blisland, Cornwall, on September 25th 1624, Richard Potteridge christened at St Andrews by the Tower (of London), on September 2nd 1632, Leonard Pestridge, christened at St Clements in Cornwall on January 14th 1655, and Thomes Petheridge, christened at St Andrews Holborn, London, on May 12th 1839. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Pedricke. This was dated 1560, when he married Alse Predom, at St David's Exeter, Devon, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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