Royton

Article summary

Royton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 21,284 in 2011. Close to the source of the River Irk, near undulating land at the foothills of the South Pennines, it is northwest of Oldham, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Royton and its surroundings have provided evidence of ancient British, Roman and Viking activity in the area. During the Middle Ages, Royton formed a small township centred on Royton Hall, a manor house owned by a long succession of dignitaries which included the Byrons and Radcliffes. A settlement expanded outwards from the hall which, by as late as 1780, "contained only a few straggling and mean-built cottages". Farming was the main industry of this rural area, with locals supplementing their incomes by hand-loom woollen weaving in the domestic system. Royton has the distinction of being the first town where a powered cotton mill was built; at Thorp in 1764, and is one of the first localities in the world to have adopted the factory system. The introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution facilitated a process of unplanned urbanisation in the area, and by the mid-19th century Royton had emerged as a mill town.…

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1730 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of birth: 1973 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of birth: 1982 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. date of birth: 1982 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. date of birth: 1984 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
6. date of birth: 1993 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
7. date of death: 1223 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
8. date of establishment: 1863 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
9. date of establishment: 1961 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
10. date of establishment: 1985 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
11. date of establishment: 1867 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
12. date of foundation: 1785 — 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 "1730". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of birth is "1973". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of birth is "1982". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the date of birth is "1982". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the date of birth is "1984". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. The record states that the date of birth is "1993". What evidence would count against this claim?
8. The record states that the date of death is "1223". What evidence would count against this claim?
9. The record states that the date of establishment is "1863". What evidence would count against this claim?
10. The record states that the date of establishment is "1961". What evidence would count against this claim?
11. The record states that the date of establishment is "1985". What evidence would count against this claim?
12. The record states that the date of establishment is "1867". What evidence would count against this claim?
13. The record states that the date of foundation is "1785". What evidence would count against this claim?
14. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
15. 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=1347026861