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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lincolnshire => Topic started by: searchr on Wednesday 17 April 19 04:29 BST (UK)
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Hi,
My ancestor was a drover in Wainfleet All Saints from sometime after 1858 to 1861. He was born in Wainfleet All Saints, Lincolnshire (maybe Northolme or Wainfleet St. Nicholas at that stage) possibly somewhere between 1806 & 1811 (Thomas Markwell son of Bartholomew Markwell, tailor, & Sarah Jeffreys) (see e.g. http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,320939.0.html ). His older siblings had been born in Horncastle. He was a boatman up to 1846 and a labourer from at 1846 or 1847 to at least 1858. I’m wondering where he would have been droving, I guess cattle, from and to. I found a site with a map about droving cattle to Wales: https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/Archives/NLWjournals/CattleDrovers2
GENUKI United Kingdom and Ireland: Welsh Cattle Drovers in the Nineteenth Century – 2:
I also found one that was interesting http://www.shepherdswithbeardies.com/index.html
Shepherds with Beardies: in Britain & US (Beardies are dogs): drovers included
They were both interesting but not really about what I wanted to find out.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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The mainstay of the Highland economy was the raising of Black-Cattle (could be any colour!) these were then entrusted to drovers who walked them at about 10 miles per day to the Trysts at Crieff & Falkirk where they were sold mainly to buyers from East Anglia where they were fattened for the Navy & the London market. The cows had to be shod with double shoes for this epic journey, I believe a blacksmith in Crossgates, Fife specialised in making these!
Skoosh.
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Typical village life
http://www.skillingtonlife.co.uk/skillingtonhistory.html
2 mentions of 'drovers'
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Thanks. From a quick look they both seem great!
I'll take some time and explore both a bit more. I wonder now if he would have been droving sheep or Skoosh's Black Cattle, or cattle to/ from Wales. I forgot to say that I know he went past Frieston.