Author Topic: Travellers travelling  (Read 3245 times)

Offline lalkav

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Travellers travelling
« on: Wednesday 08 October 14 19:29 BST (UK) »
I've been doing my husbands family tree and his maternal side are travellers. I was just wondering how far travellers normally travelled because when I read threads people always seem to mention a family surname coming from a certain area ie the Smiths of Sussex but my husbands family are all over the place. I'm finding it really difficult to trace them as they're in England, Ireland or Scotland. I've just found them in Devon in 1904 and previous to that they were in Aberdeen in 1901 and then went on to Co Armagh in 1910. Was this the norm? Why would they have travelled so often and such great distances? I'm guessing they would have travelled for work reasons but I can't actually find them doing any work relevant to the area that they're in. The occupations I've found them doing are wireworker, brushmaker and hawker. Thanks.

Offline peggysmum

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Re: Travellers travelling
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 12 October 14 14:08 BST (UK) »
hello. Travelling so far is not common for my Loveridge and Parker families. They tended to stay around the herts,beds and Essex areas occasionally popping over to bucks or Suffolk. But my family were quite poor so walked mostly and they could get most of what they needed in the areas they were in.
But ive just discovered my Derbyshire line. They are Calladines and Bostocks who were pot hawkers/earthenware dealers who seem to winter in the same road in Whittington, foundry street. Where I guess they stock up for the spring/summer months, then off they go again. Looking at the children's places of birth they travelled all over. Mostly down into wales and Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.
You also can find travellers who really didn't travel at all, moved into houses in an area and then stayed put but lived as travellers, mixing with other traveller folk and finding different ways to make a living. If that makes sense. They would set up scrap yards and such.
So I guess for your hubbys ancestors they were able and willing to travel farther than normal, but they must have had a reason. You don't mention there surname.
It may be that they are travellers and not romanies or showmen. There are differences between the groups. Don't forget that in centuries past ordinary folk could be pedlars/hawkers/higlers. They might have had there home town and travelled around villages and homesteads to sell there wares. Romanies came to England and needed a way to make a living. Mine on my loveridge/parker side seem to have been scissor grinders which I guess could be a long tradition of working with metal. Others took to making brushes or baskets. There are quite a few traditional gypsy trades. But they usually will do anything to make a living. Hawking or peddling is just one of those extra ways something the women could do.
sorry if this is a bit long and boring but I find it all fascinating.
tracey
waters/walters-berkshire
tanner and adby- berkshire
loveridge and parker romanies from suffolk,essex,beds,bucks and herts
gill- derbyshire
turvills-hinks,leicestershire
calladine and Bostock,pot hawkers-Derbyshire

Offline lalkav

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Re: Travellers travelling
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 12 October 14 19:43 BST (UK) »
I'm guessing my husbands family were quite destitute so I'm not sure how they would have travelled such vast distances or indeed why. I'm guessing it would have been by foot as one of their twin babies died through being ill fed (the cause of death on the cert is 'ill fed owing to parents being wanderers') so I'm sure they wouldn't have been able to afford to feed a horse. The mother, my husbands great granny Bridget Collins, did eventually settle in Greenock/Glasgow in a tenement and my husband remembers horses being tethered up when he used to go and visit his grandparents and his family are still part of the travelling community in Glasgow. I have no idea what happened to my husbands great grandfather George Jenkins as he could have died in England, Ireland or Scotland so it's difficult to find his death.

Thanks for replying and clarifying a few things.

 

Offline peggysmum

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Re: Travellers travelling
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 12 October 14 20:01 BST (UK) »
was that there family names, Jenkins and Collins. if you like I will have a look in a book I have and see if they are gypsy names. I just wander if they had no ties to particular areas so they moved on and on to get by. or maybe they were selling goods like my pot hawkers so travelled far and wide.
waters/walters-berkshire
tanner and adby- berkshire
loveridge and parker romanies from suffolk,essex,beds,bucks and herts
gill- derbyshire
turvills-hinks,leicestershire
calladine and Bostock,pot hawkers-Derbyshire


Offline lalkav

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Re: Travellers travelling
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 12 October 14 20:23 BST (UK) »
Yes Jenkins and Collins. They said they were married in Dublin but I can't find any marriage record and some of their children were given the surname Jenkins and some Collins so even today some of the family are called Jenkins and some are called Collins! Bridget said she was born in Dublin and I have found a birth record for her and her father was a brushmaker. George said he was born in Bristol but I haven't found any record for him. George is a hardware hawker in Dundee when their first set of twins were born in June 1897. By Aug 1897 the family had travelled to Banffshire over 100 miles north where one of their baby twins died and both George and Bridget are wire workers.

Offline peggysmum

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Re: Travellers travelling
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 12 October 14 20:35 BST (UK) »
well I had a look and whilst in doesn't prove they were the names do feature in the book. obviously they are common names. but it is something to bear in mind. Also the fact that some take the Collins and some kids the Jenkins is a common gypsy way. It may well be that they never married , most of mine didn't. so you may never find proof of marriage. Ages and areas of birth can vary too .Do you know anymore about them. If you want me to see what I can find I don't mind. Need to know a bit more about them though.
waters/walters-berkshire
tanner and adby- berkshire
loveridge and parker romanies from suffolk,essex,beds,bucks and herts
gill- derbyshire
turvills-hinks,leicestershire
calladine and Bostock,pot hawkers-Derbyshire

Offline lalkav

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Re: Travellers travelling
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 12 October 14 21:07 BST (UK) »
Well that's interesting regarding the surnames as I never knew that and did always wonder why some were Jenkins and some Collins. The only thing I know about George is that he said he was born in 1861 in Bristol. I've got them on the 1901 census in Darlington and I've found 2 of their sons being admitted to a school in Exeter in 1904 for 3 weeks before they left the city. The school admission register said they had come from Bridport. Bridget married another man in 1916 in Greenock so I'm guessing that George had died by then but I don't know where. I've got 9 children for them Michael, George, George, Charles, Ethel, Mary, Catherine, John and Peter but I can't find a birth for Ethel, John or Peter. Anything you find on them would be great thanks.


Offline peggysmum

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Re: Travellers travelling
« Reply #7 on: Monday 13 October 14 08:59 BST (UK) »
will see if I can find anything. but if there anything like mine they can be very hard to find.
waters/walters-berkshire
tanner and adby- berkshire
loveridge and parker romanies from suffolk,essex,beds,bucks and herts
gill- derbyshire
turvills-hinks,leicestershire
calladine and Bostock,pot hawkers-Derbyshire

Offline rob g

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Re: Travellers travelling
« Reply #8 on: Monday 13 October 14 10:06 BST (UK) »
Hi.  Just noticed the message. There are many reasons why your family moved around. In the past you needed a ticket/approved note to work in a parish. This way spiked. Like a train or bus ticket. Hence spikey/ pikey. If asked or census filling. They would say that they were not working. When found out they moved on. Still goes on. Ie.gypsy folk work all over the world.  Without permission. When asked they still say holidays. Or travelling. Plus prejudicial forces keep you travelling all over the place. By the way Jenkins is an old romany name.i know many myself. Seasonal work also made travelling necessary. You will find that although they may travel the country. It is usually to the same areas.  Rob.
romany history, mitchell family history. Earthenware. general . And horse. I dealers/hawkers. market trading.  lancashire. cumbria. staffordshire.scotland. paternal, side. wilson. lee. burton. miller .burnside. Smith. varey. howard. Jones. Lowther. Evens. Ward. Dale.maternal, side. miller cumbria, stewert. mitchell. allan. Ireland. donaghue, Kelly. Murphy. Young. Plus many others. .