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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Northumberland => Topic started by: ruthy on Monday 02 April 07 15:53 BST (UK)
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I am curious to know if there was any draw to Northumberland in the 1700's to explain migration to the area of my ancestors. I am aware of the mining industry, but I thought this was in the 1800's. Maybe I am wrong. Any pointers would be most helpful.
Many thanks
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There was a wave of migration from Scotland in the aftermath of the second Jacobite Rebellion (1745). Some of my ancestors, rather than supporting either side, found it hard to get work because they hadn't supported ANY side. They were able to find work in rural Northumberland.
Prior to this, Northumberland was a ravaged frontier land, with regular skirmishes back and forth, north and south of the border. The Earl of Northumberland had his main estate in Yorkshire if I recall correctly (Topcliffe, I think) and his retinues would have accompanied him on his visits to Northumberland. Perhaps some of them might have stayed in the North.
Farming and fighting would have been good alternative drawcards.
There's an excellent and eminently readable book called Kings of the North (published 2005 or 2006) which describes the history of the Percy family; Earls then eventually Dukes of Northumberland.
The population was far more migratory than we give it credit for.
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Ruthy,
Whereabouts in Northumberland ?
The county had/has several faces... rural (ie more sheep than folk) industrial ( coal, yes in 1700s, shipbuilding etc)
Michael Dixon (from the ugly end of Northumberland)
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Thank you lynxafrica and Michael,
I will definitely take a look at Kings of the North, and look further into the Jacobite Rebellion. Lots to think about.
The name I am researching in this area is Perry, and the earliest link is in the Woodhorn (Widdrington) area so far, although there are other Perry's in many other areas of Northumberland. If mining was happening in the 1700's , as Michael, you say it was (and all my Perry's up there until recent years were miners) then this would look likely as a reason for the migration north for my lot, although I don't know how to proove this.
Most general info about the surname indicates the it is from further south, and there are not an excessive number in Northumberland in the 1700's so I was interested in any reasons why the name would appear there originally. I suppose it would be a combination of all of the possibilities mentioned. I hadn't realized how migratory the population was.
Thank you both for your insights
Ruthy
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Ruthy,
To give you a flavour of my time growing up in the mining communities in Northumberland.... but unfortunately a little later than 1700s.
I was born in Bebside Colliery village in 1941... lived there until 1951, when pit died and authorities moved us out en bloc and flattened the place...
But I remember folk , not just the natives, but people from Ireland ( my mother's line), from Co Durham, from Scotland, Staffordshire, Norfolk, Cornwall, Wales, Lancashire etc.
Woodhorn was one of several "ancient" parishes in the area. (My "home" parish was Horton.) It once consisted of the "townships" Cresswell, Newbiggin, Ellington, Hirst, Lynmouth, North Seaton, Widdrington and Woodhorn itself ( Later Newbiggin and Widdrington , in 1768, got their "independence" from Woodhorn Parish)
Hirst and a neighbouring community merged into Ashington, which became known as the "Biggest Mining Village in the WORLD"
Blyth, on the coast at some stage in it's better days, became the biggest coal-exporting (in tonnage terms) port in the world.
To see the A-Z of coal and individual coal pits go to www.dmm.org.uk .
There was a coal pit at Woodhorn, that became a mining museum, when coal production ceased. A new complex has been built on the site that includes the musem and the Northumberland County Record Office.
The Surname Profiler web site gives the root of Perry (as far as the year 1881 is concerned) as Somerset, south midlands and Essex (www.spatial-literacy.org )
and no relative source in Northumberland or Durham.
On Census 1841 there were 12589 Perry folk in England. 60 in Northumberland, 46 in Co Durham.
On C1901 there were 26699 Perrys in England, 110 in Northumberland and 353 in County Durham.
A family of 7 Perrys were in Hirst.
(Source for Perrys = Ancestry.com)
Michael Dixon
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Michael,
Don't run us down
Northumberland is not ugly we have to just look at our beaches and the hills over to the Cheviots .We have many lovely Castles ,Walks the Roman wall
||Come on get out and have a look around
Me I'm from Belford a lovely part of Northumberland near to Holy Island ,Alnwick Berwic upon Tweed
now just up the road from you at Amble
We have a nice walk around the prom to the harbour
Elizabeth proud to be a Northumbrian
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missed the K off Berwick
Sorry
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Elizabeth,
I think you have that worried look on you face, cos you must have misread my wee contribution.... I did not say Northumberland was ugly... I said I was from the ugly end of it...
Your bit is rural and unspoilt, my corner was scarred by industry with a continual stink of burning pit heaps giving off sulphur fumes, etc.
My corner was Bebside, Cambois, Cowpen.
But this does not stop me from being mega-proud to be a Northumbrian.
Michael Dixon
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Thanks for that Michael
Elizabeth
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Michael
Thanks for all the info, and the insight into your ancestry - you are truly a mine (very sorry!) of information. The mining museum web site is very good.
I find the mining history of the area fascinating (although my knowledge is still quite limited), and as a child loved going to Beamish with my grandparents. I am visiting the Woodhorn visitor centre in a couple of weeks too, and looking forward to seeing some of the rural countryside aspin mentions as well as the more built up areas.
My ancestry so far is initially in the Woodhorn area in 1790 - 1800, and then they were in Longbenton, and the 20thC saw them in Hetton-le-Hole - all mining families (never ones for an easy life I think!) . My father and his siblings all moved away in the 1960's.
I will continue on my quest - some of those 60 1841 Perry's in Northumberland are my ancestors discovered, and some are as yet undiscovered. Maybe one of them somewhere will give me a clue as to where they came to Northumberland from.
Ruthy
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Wow, thanks for all the info on migration in Northumberland! Michael Dixon, I like your name!
I also am trying to find a little about the migration in Northumberland and Durham prior to 1700.
I found my ancestors, confirmed back to William Dixon (1720-1769) in St. Andrews church - Shotley Lower Quarter, a very small church at the southern edge of Northumberland. His baptism says he's "son of John Dixon." I found in the archives from Durham the 1750 will of John Dixon of Shotley, the father, who apparently died in 1763 in Shotley. He gives his estate to his 4 sons, with allowance for his wife, and his youngest son is described as Joseph Dixon "of Stanhope" (northern County Durham). There is no record prior of John Dixon, the father, in Shotley, however, the churchbook from Shotley only goes back to 1695, so that is not surprising, since he was probably born before then. There is a 1718 marriage of a John Dixon to Margaret Proud, but in the will John's wife is Isabel. Don't see any death for a Margaret Proud or a Margaret Dixon. I note that there are lots of Dixon's in Stanhope and also nearby Wolsingham. I am not sure if they perhaps had family there before, or perhaps it was a move to a near area by the son. However, with Shotley being so small, I have doubts that they were there for centuries before 1700. Also, I have no info about John Dixon's occupation, or that of his son William, however, the child of William, George Dixon, was a banksman at the coal mine on Kiln Pit Hill there next to the church. There were many stone masons in the family going on down the line after that. Also, George Dixon and his siblings mostly moved to Snows Green, next to Shotley Bridge across the river in county Durham, so the later Dixons were in northern county Durham. I've also heard that the Dixon name ORIGINALLY came from southern Scotland, but again, I have no info prior to John Dixon, so I have no idea where they were prior to 1700. Any thoughts?
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Michael Dixon has not been on RootsChat since Friday 06 October 2017.
Stan
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Sorry I didn't notice that he hadn't been active lately. I hope he's ok.
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Ruthy,
Whereabouts in Northumberland ?
The county had/has several faces... rural (ie more sheep than folk) industrial ( coal, yes in 1700s, shipbuilding etc)
Michael Dixon (from the ugly end of Northumberland)
Come on Michael there's no ugly parts in Northumberland its the best place in England but don't tell anyone from a true Northumbrian
Elizabeth :D :D :D :D
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Dear Aspin, I am not quite sure what your reply means. I see a quote asking what part of Northumberland, but I spelled that out in my initial post (parish of St. Andrew's Shotley Lower Quarter on the very southern edge of Northumberland just north of its border with county Durham). I mapped out all the baptisms/marriages/burials on a spreadsheet, and note that there most of the earliest Dixon's appearing in the church register for Shotley Lower Quarter mention "of Panshields," which is a farm just a few miles southeast of the old St. Andrews Shotley church, and a few miles east of the newer St. John's Shotley church. This farm still exists, and is just north of the river Derwent, which forms the border between Northumberland and county Durham. On an old map of the Durham diocese, it shows what appears to be a church or chapel at Panshields, but I see no mention of that church or chapel anywhere. I assume it was long ago demolished, if it ever existed. Panshields farm is within the parish of Shotley...well, at least it is within its current borders. I hope this helps!
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Dear Aspin, I am not quite sure what your reply means.
Elizabeth (aka Aspin) was just replying to Michael Dixon, when he had said he was from 'the ugly end of Northumberland'.
Her reply to him was (I've highlighted it in red below)
Ruthy,
Whereabouts in Northumberland ?
The county had/has several faces... rural (ie more sheep than folk) industrial ( coal, yes in 1700s, shipbuilding etc)
Michael Dixon (from the ugly end of Northumberland)
Come on Michael there's no ugly parts in Northumberland its the best place in England but don't tell anyone from a true Northumbrian
Elizabeth :D :D :D :D
She wasn't replying to any part of your posting about Shotley :)
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Note there is now a new thread about Scott's family here.
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=796865.0;topicseen
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So sorry I didn't mean to upset anyone
I've not been on here very much either
Hope Michael is OK
Elizabeth
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So sorry I didn't mean to upset anyone
I'm sure you haven't :)
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It's all ok from my end, Aspin! It can sometimes get a little confusing with all the back and forth. Thanks for explaining the reply.
Scott
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I'm from Blyth, and my mother's maiden name was Dixon, but I think her father came from around York. It's a very common surname.
Also have relatives in the sheep farming part of the north of the county. Hedley.
Hoping Michael is OK too.
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Hope Michael is OK
Last I heard of Michael he had deserted Northumberland and moved to Scotland :-\
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Has nobody got an email or mobile number for him
He was always ready to help anyone when adding something about Northumberland
Hope he's OK
Elizabeth
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A recent interested party especially when there is mention of Blyth, North Blyth, Percy Main, Newbiggin, Ashington, Woodhorn Colliery ... Thanks to Michael Dixon for increasing the blood pressure just a little
My grandparents lived in Newbiggin (Paternal... Brown, James and Mary lived at 7 Woodhorn Rd Newbiggin while Maternal ... Williamson, Edward ended his days at 3 King George's Rd Newbiggin.
From family discussions I believe the Browns migrated to Northumberland from Ireland while the Williamsons fit into the 'Jacobite' scene referred to in previous posts.
Family singalongs at various times during WWII (my early childhood in North Blyth) support my ancestry theory with distinct leanings towards Ireland or Scotland depending on which family you were visiting.
My mother being the daughter of Edward Williamson entertained us (3 children of pre and School age) during WWII with many songs that she obviously learned from her family. Quite a large framed print of 'The Young Pretender' had pride of place in her home ...
As a matter of family interest James and Mary Brown had 5 children: William (my father), John, Joe Jimmy and Mary while Edward and Hellen Williamson (died aged 45) had 3 children Sadie, Florence and Mary (my mother).
With school years shared between Blyth, Percy Main and North Shields, an apprenticeship at Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Co. Ltd. Wallsend followed by 17 years in the British Mercantile Marine (Merch. For the locals). Following other migration paths it looks as though I will end my days in sunny Australia
Thanks to all who make these fascinating threads possible ...