Small variations on the modern name are found in historical maps and texts: the final consonant was often a 't' or 'dt', and 'aa' was often spelled as 'ae'.

The oldest mention of the village occurs in a document dating back to 945 from the Princely Abbey of Fulda, where it's called Breitenfurt.

Even in early modern times, the range of spellings used was considerable, including Berdaerdt, Birdavert and Bierdauwert.

It is not known precisely in what year(s) the canal was constructed, though it already appears on the very first reliable maps of Friesland, which date back to the 1500s.

At some point in the Middle Ages, the Middelzee, the bay connecting Leeuwarden to the wider ocean, silted up completely, and as a result its harbor became unusable.

The local Cistercian monastery, the Klaarkamp Abbey, might have played a role in aiding this project, as part of a wider mission to develop remote, poorly accessible regions–which seems to have included northern Friesland.

[9] The Dokkumer Ee itself also started silting up after a while, to the point that trade was being obstructed and boats had to divert to another waterway.

This road was used by horses pulling trekschuiten, a style of sail- and horse-drawn boat used for passenger traffic in the Netherlands at the time.

[10][8] Historically, the inhabitants of Friesland, built mounds called terpen to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides and sea or river flooding.

Nowadays, only two of those are still (partially) visible in the landscape: the Dorpsterp (currently the location of a church, the Hervormde Kerk) and the Doniaterp along to the road to Wânswert.

It was demolished completely in the second half of the 19th century, leaving a small wetland area that is at a lower elevation than the surrounding farmland.

The fourth minor terp, the Wierde van Hollebrantsje, is nowadays only visible as a slight difference in elevation.

The foundation of the factory was part of a nationwide movement: until the 1880s, the Netherlands was the largest exporter of butter to England.

However, in the following years, the overall quality of Dutch butter fell due to an increase in additives such as margarine and fats.

The Dutch government and agricultural organizations intervened: they promoted the rapid foundation of dairy factories throughout the Netherlands, as a measure to improve the quality of butter.

After the foundation of the dairy factory Concordia, the demand for higher quality cattle feed increased.

Burdaard's farmers were aware of the benefits of high quality cattle feed: increased milk production with a higher fat content.

Local mills couldn't keep up with the demand, so in October 1915, a cooperative of farmers in Burdaard submitted an application for a permit for the foundation of a gristmill, which was granted.

The grain was supplied by ship on the Dokkumer Ee from other regions in Friesland, and later on even from abroad, because there were no grainfields near the village.

During the last years of its existence, more than 10,000 tons of feed, fertilizer, and fuel were produced by the mill, accounting for a revenue of two million guilders.

The northern half used to be known under the administrative name Wanswerd aan de Streek, where many retired farmers from the neighboring village of Wânswert lived.

There are several listed national heritage sites (rijksmonumenten) in the village, including a terp predating Roman times.

De Olifant is a drainage mill dating from 1867 (originally built in 1856 in Groningen, and then moved to its current location) which has been restored to working order.