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==Investigations into historicity ==How is historically accurate is the story of the William Tell?====By the 18th century, William Tell was a very popular figure in Switzerland, so much so that several antiquarians investigated the story. They did not find any evidence that there was such as figure, nor proof that any person shot an apple off a boy’s head. In the 19th century, the Swiss government ordered an official investigation into the authenticity of the story of William Tell.  There was no document found in relation to that mentions anyone by that name from the late 1200s and early 14th century that mentions anyone by that name .<ref>Head, p . 551</ref>. There is no mention of a person shooting an apple off a boy’s head in any record. However, it should be noted that record keeping was very poor at the time , and many documents would have been lost down the centuries. It was noted pointed out that the first mention of the hero was in the 15th century long after the bowman’s supposed heroics and life.  Many have believed that the story of William Tell and his marksmanship, was not historically accurate. Many historians have expressed doubt about the authenticity of the story because crossbows were not commonly used at the time, especially by poor mountaineers such as William Tell. Crossbows in the 14th century were typically very expensive , and only professional soldiers could afford this technology. Crossbowmen were much sought after as mercenaries in the Middle Ages.  Moreover, there is no support for the story that Tell, and others took an oath to free Switzerland. There are some who Some believe that a linguistic analysis of the legend in order to determine if there was a real-life character .<ref>Head, p . 555</ref>. Some Swiss scholars have turned to etymology in order to provide proof of the historicity of the hero. At the time many people took their surname from their home village or territory. There are Some scholars who hold that the name Tell could derive from a district or villagecommunity. However, these academic exercises do not provide any real evidence for the existence of the Swiss national hero.