|
Pages: [1]
|
 |
|
Author
|
Topic: Links: Migration (Read 790 times)
|
|
|
Amy K
Global Moderator
RootsChat Veteran
 Offline
Posts: 708
Genealogy: Chasing your own tale!
|
The valleys of South Wales during the 1800's became a 'melting pot' of different people and cultures. After the Welsh and the English, the next largest national group to come in were the Irish. In 1861 there were already 18,000 Irish in South Wales, the largest number being in Merthyr Tydfil.
In Dowlais and in Abercraf at the head of the Swansea Valley there were communities of Spaniards, in Merthyr there were small groups of Russians, Poles and Frenchmen.
Between 1851 and 1911, it is estimated that some 366,000 people moved into the South Wales Coalfield. The peak of this migration occurred between 1901 and 1911 when 129,000 people moved into the area. Such was the rate of growth at this time that South Wales absorbed immigrants at a faster rate than any where in the world except the United States of America.
Case Studies
The Italians
A nationality that were not large in number but which were very noticeable as most of them were involved in running cafes in the new valley towns were the Italians. They came mainly from Bardi in northern Italy and they followed the first family to come - the Bracchis - to the Rhondda and other Valleys.
Julio Bracchi was amongst those wanting to earn a decent living. He left Bardi in Italy and in 1890 he opened the first Italian café in the Rhondda. Thousands of colliers living and working nearby meant that the business became an instant success and soon he opened three more cafés.
Back in Bardi, people learned of this success and many more families decided to travel to South Wales to open their own cafés. Soon names like Rabaiotti, Viazzani and Bacchetta were well known. Collectively they became known as "Bracchis" and with their Latino looks and panache, they broke many hearts.
The story of Serafino Bacchetta is a cameo of the story of the Italians in Rhondda. Born in Gazzo in Bardi, he left in 1914, aged 14, to join two older brothers already in Wales working for the Rabaiotti family in Newbridge. He and his brother returned to Italy during the war to do military service. His brother was killed and in 1920 Serafino returned to Wales on his own.
Dorinda Sidoli, his wife to be, also left her native Bardi at 14 years and had worked in domestic service in Milan before arriving in Wales.
In 1932 Serafino opened Bacchettas Café in Porth.
The Somalians
The Somali community in Cardiff has the largest British-born Somali population in the UK. They were originally drawn to Cardiff as seamen at the end of the 19th century, shortly after the opening of the Suez canal, to work in the thriving docks. These young men came as sailors, not as refugees or slaves, driven by the desire to earn money to buy more livestock back in Somalia. Some of them settled down and married local women, whilst others returned home periodically to visit their families, living in boarding houses during their time onshore. The boarding houses were run by Somalis and provided the visiting sailors with the familiarity of shared language and customs.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pages: [1]
|
|
|
|
|
