Lesson plan

Birchall

Birchall is an English surname deriving from the settlement of Birkle, Lancashire, and derived from Birch - hill. The village of Birkle later became "Birtle". Variant forms include Burchall and Burchill. It is most commonly found in the North-West of England, particularly Lancashire. The highest proportion of bearers can be found in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The first recorded bearer was John de Birchall de Birtles in 1401. The surname is less commonly found in other areas of the former British Empire, including Canada and the United States. Only one early migrant to Australia was recorded with this name, a convicted criminal, James Stanley Birchall, a Protestant from Chorley in Lancashire; on 10 April 1851 he was sent to Norfolk Island for committing forgery. The surname is also found in Sussex where it appears to have originated from the village of Billingshurst, where it can be found in the sixteenth century in its original form of Burchfold; this changed to Burchall in the mid-seventeenth century. A branch of the family migrated to Guildford, Surrey where they supplied two mayors – John and Richard Burchall, who entered a pedigree in the Heralds Visitations.

Back to article

Article summary

Birchall is an English surname deriving from the settlement of Birkle, Lancashire, and derived from Birch - hill. The village of Birkle later became "Birtle". Variant forms include Burchall and Burchill. It is most commonly found in the North-West of England, particularly Lancashire. The highest proportion of bearers can be found in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The first recorded bearer was John de Birchall de Birtles in 1401. The surname is less commonly found in other areas of the former British Empire, including Canada and the United States. Only one early migrant to Australia was recorded with this name, a convicted criminal, James Stanley Birchall, a Protestant from Chorley in Lancashire; on 10 April 1851 he was sent to Norfolk Island for committing forgery. The surname is also found in Sussex where it appears to have originated from the village of Billingshurst, where it can be found in the sixteenth century in its original form of Burchfold; this changed to Burchall in the mid-seventeenth century. A branch of the family migrated to Guildford, Surrey where they supplied two mayors – John and Richard Burchall, who entered a pedigree in the Heralds Visitations.

Key claims

  1. date of birth: 1984 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. date of birth: 1988 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  3. date of birth: 1979 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of birth is "1984". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the date of birth is "1988". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. The record states that the date of birth is "1979". What evidence would count against this claim?
  5. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  6. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1360444893

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.