Bircumshaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Bircumshaw surname is habitational, taken on from the name of the Chapelry of Birkenshaw in the Parish of Birstall, county Yorkshire. The place literally means "small wood or copse where birch trees grow" from the Old English "bircen" 1

Early Origins of the Bircumshaw family

The surname Bircumshaw was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, most likely even before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D., given the Old English roots of their name.

The first on record was William del Birkenschawe listed in 1274 in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire. A Thomas Birchynshaw was listed in the Poll Tax Rolls of that same county in 1379. 2

Early History of the Bircumshaw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bircumshaw research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1408, 1587, 1634, 1664, 1672 and 1739 are included under the topic Early Bircumshaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bircumshaw Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bircumshaw has been recorded under many different variations, including Birkenshaw, Birkinshaw, Bircumshaw, Burtenshaw and many more.

Early Notables of the Bircumshaw family

Distinguished members of the family include John Birchensha (fl. 1664-1672), a Welsh musician, "probably a member of the Burchinshaw, Burchinsha, Byrchinshaw, or Byrchinsha family, the senior branch of which were settled...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bircumshaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bircumshaw family to Ireland

Some of the Bircumshaw family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bircumshaw family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bircumshaw or a variant listed above: Richard Burchenshaw, who arrived in Virginia in 1642; Joseph Birkinshaw, who was naturalized in New York in 1834; and Joyce Birkinshaw, a bonded passenger who arrived in Annapolis, MD in 1726..

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)