Places

Since the early 19^th Century, most of my family seem to have been on the move, criss-crossing the British Isles and the Atlantic.  Before this time it was the complete opposite, with almost no movement beyond county boundaries until the birth of my 3x great grandparents.  Before the 19^th Century the family was settled in the counties and areas outlined below.

In this blog I expect to focus on just a few areas, namely Gedling, Sneinton and Bothamsall in Nottinghamshire; Marske by Sea in north Yorkshire; Llandarog and Llangendeirne in Carmarthenshire; Faversham in Kent and Woolwich in London.  However, I would love to hear from other people doing local research in any of the areas below who is happy to let me piggy back on their hard work!

ENGLAND

Durham

Both my grandfathers were born in County Durham in the early 20^th Century but only one of my 32 great great great grandparents actually came from the County in the area immediately south west of Newcastle including the villages of Tanfield and Ryton.

Kent

Part of my father’s family come from the Medway and  the area between Chatham & Rochester and Faversham and Sheerness including: Chatham, Rochester, Margate, Sheerness, Minster, Birling, West Malling, Snodland, West Farleigh and East Malling.  My the middle of the 19^th Century the family has moved to Woolwich in London and the great Woolwich Arsenal before moving to north Yorkshire and then County Durham.  (The reason for my Durham born grandfather being an ardent Arsenal supporter!)  Separately, my maternal grandmother’s great grandmother also came from the area around Faversham but married a Nottinghamshire soldier on service with the militia in Kent.

Herefordshire

Early in the 19^th Century my Herefordshire relatives came to Woolwich in London before moving to north Yorkshire and then County Durham.  They originated in Herefordshire from the villages of: Bodenham, Bromyard, Ashperton, Ocle Pychard, Kings Pyon, Kinnersley, Norton Canon, Brilley, Almeley,

Lincolnshire

At various points people from Lincolnshire marry into my Nottinghamshire family coming from both the very north of the county around Gainsborough and the area between Grantham and Stamford including Keisby, Rippingale and Somerby.

Northumberland

The border area around Berwick and Wooler including Lowick, Chatton Green Dykes, Ford and Ancroft.  Plus separately the south of the county around Hadrian’s Wall including Corbridge.

Nottinghamshire

My Nottinghamshire ancestors are the exception to the migratory patterns of the rest of the family - although very occasionally someone from outside the county borders marries into the family, no one ever -seems to leave the county unless they’re on military service or as in the case of my great-great-great grandfather doing a runner!  Originally over half the family were from the north of the county around Worksop - real Robin Hood country - and particularly Bothamsall, Perlethorpe, Headon, Darlton, Littleborough, Clayworth, Tuxford and Edwinstowe.  At the end of the 17^th Century following the restoration, there were significant enclosures in this area of north Nottinghamshire - now known as the Dukeries - and by the late 1600s / early 1700s most of the family is concentrated around Gedling and Sneinton, which are both now part of Nottingham’s urban sprawl.  The other half of the family originate in the area immediately north east of Nottingham itself including again Gedling but also Burton Joyce, Oxton, Calverton, Woodborough and Arnold.

Travellers

My 3x great grandmother Frances Mezaler Mallery was born in Springfield, Essex but it is suspected that she came from a traveller family.

Yorkshire

Primarily the area from what is now Recar across north York Moors and through Swaledale with particular concentration in the area around Marske by Sea but also including Eston, Brompton, Scorton, Guisborough, Stokesley, Skelton, Melsonby, Grinton, Great Smeaton, Richmond, Whashton, Stainton,  Separately, people from Tickhill in the very south of the county married into the Nottinghamshire branch of the family.

Worcestershire

The Worcestershire family from the area around Bewdley and Hartlebury left the county for London and work at Woolwich Arsenal in the early 19th Century.

IRELAND

I have made little progress in tracing my Irish ancestors who came to County Durham in the 1830s but I believe the family comes from around Armagh and from the Kileen, Dunsany and Kilmessan area of County Meath.

SCOTLAND

Again very little progress with my Scottish ancestors who appear to have left the Dumfries area in the 1830s.

WALES

My grandmother was born in the Rhonda but her father’s family came from the Trefeglwys and Llanidloes area of Montgomeryshire and her mother’s family from Llandarog and Llangendeirne in Carmathenshire and Llanrhystud, Llansantffraid and Llanifangel-Ystrad areas of Cardiganshire.  Interestingly in Wales the family is able to stay on the land a lot longer than anywhere else in the family apart from Nottinghamshire and it is only in the late 19^th Century and early 20^th Century that they leave the land for the mines of the Rhonda.

AUSTRIA

Way back in the 16 Century it appears that some of my Marske, Yorkshire family were originally from Not, Graz-Umbgebung, Styria.  The migration could have been simply trade related but Styria did experience a fairly brutal counter-reformation and so they could have been religious emigrees.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

My maternal grandfather was born and grew up in Jarrow but his father was born in New York and christened with the fabulous Geordie-Italian moniker of Richard Dariano Rosso Redpath .I have no idea what his parents were doing there, why they came back or what they were doing giving their Geordie shores son such un-Geordie names!  This is one of my brickwalls which I am going to cover in another page.