| ![Show Contents]() Birkett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of BirkettWhat does the name Birkett mean? The name Birkett is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in Northern England where the term 'of the birk-head,' as in "the head of the birches" was derived. Thus the name literally means "dweller by the birch-covered headland." 1 The name is related to the names Birkenhead and Beckett 2 and was frequented in Cumberland and Lancashire. 1 The Birket is a tributary of the River Mersey, on the Wirral, Merseyside. Early Origins of the Birkett familyThe surname Birkett was first found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire where John de Birkhaved was listed in 1301. Later, John Birkehede was listed as a Freeman or York in 1442 and Henry Brikket, Byrkett was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1524. 1 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included an entry for Adam Birkeued. 2 Early History of the Birkett familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birkett research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1425, 1503, 1507, 1573, 1607, 1623, 1634, 1636, 1638, 1646, 1650, 1653, 1666, 1700, 1703, 1746, 1838, 1908, 1929, 1958 and 1982 are included under the topic Early Birkett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Birkett Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Birkett family name include Birket, Birkett, Bircket, Burkett, Birckett, Burket, Burkert and many more. Early Notables of the Birkett family- Baron Birkett, of Ulverston in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a hereditary title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 31 January 1958 for the prominent lawyer Sir Norman Birke...
Migration of the Birkett family to IrelandSome of the Birkett family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Birkett migration to the United States | + |
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Birkett surname or a spelling variation of the name include :
Birkett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- John Birkett, who settled in Virginia in 1650
- Jac Birkett, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 3
- Richard Birkett, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 3
Birkett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Samuel Birkett, who settled in New England in 1750
Birkett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Edward Birkett, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1848 3
- John Birkett, who landed in New York in 1862 3
| Birkett migration to Australia | + |
Birkett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
| Birkett migration to New Zealand | + |
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Birkett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. Benjamin Birkett (Burkett), (b. 1802), aged 38, English settler born in Kent travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 25th January 1841 5
- Mrs. Martha Birkett (Burkett) née Hogg, (b. 1806), aged 35, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 25th January 1841 5
- Mr. Jabez Birkett (Burkett), (b. 1829), aged 11, English settler born in Kent travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 25th January 1841 5
- Mr. Edward Birkett (Burkett), (b. 1833), aged 6, English settler born in Kent travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 25th January 1841 5
- Mr. George Birkett (Burkett), (b. 1839), aged 2, English settler born in Kent travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 25th January 1841 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Birkett (post 1700) | + |
- Joseph E. Birkett (b. 1955), American jurist, Judge of the Illinois Appellate Court from the 2nd District (2010-)
- Glenn W. Birkett (1888-1950), American farmer and politician, Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1949
- William Birkett (1874-1934), also known as William Burkitt, an English first-class cricketer who represented Derbyshire in 1898 and 1901
- Cliff Birkett (1933-1997), English footballer
- Thomas William "Bill" Birkett (b. 1952), English civil engineer, climbing writer, photographer, pioneering rock climber, and mountaineer, from the Lake District, Cumbria, eponym of 541 peaks of the lake district listed in one of his books, known as the Birketts
- Reg Birkett (1849-1898), English football player
- Ralph Birkett (1913-2002), English professional footballer
- Bob Birkett (b. 1879), English professional footballer
- Arthur Birkett (1875-1941), English Olympic cricket player
- ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Historic Events for the Birkett family | + |
- Mr. Henry James Birkett (1891-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Carstairs, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 6
- Mr. Donald Craig Birkett, British Boy 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 7
- Mr. Henry R Birkett, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 8
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
- HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
- HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
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