Help with researching the history of agricultural labourers/servants

[coombs]

Hi

I think even though it was common, some places still caused a stir with illegitimacy. It was rife but frowned upon. Occasionally, some people did then flee their home parish.

Ben

[oldcrone]

Out of all my family history research, on all of my grandparent's families, these are the only 'out of wedlock' children I've found so far.  

I mean, the poor woman did marry a bloke, had 6 kids, then her old man died in the late 1840s; then she had to do the best she could in a dreadful financial situation!  And in a time of primitive contraception.

I suppose this is the type of scenario I want to understand.

Thanks for your help!

[brushbroomstick]

In my part of the country - Northumberland / Scottish Borders Ag Labs went to the Hiring Fairs - I'm not sure at what time of year - and were hired for the season or sometimes if they were lucky they were hired permanently and then they were given a house by the farmer. Several of my ancestors live around the same area for a number of years but others moved frequently . Luck of the draw or wre the permanent ones harder workers?

[coombs]

I suppose the date of death and the marriage to her next hubby was more than 13 years apart if the previous one died in 1848 and she remarried in about early 1860s? In those days, it did take time and effort to go out and meet someone after a widowhood unless it was to someone you knew.

It could well be that the second husband was the father of all of her subsequent illegitimate children. She may have been on poor relief, but might also have been recieving some sort of help from a man. Poor law records might find this.

Anyway, could you please tell me her name so I can look her up in 1851 and 1861 so I can make a judgement? What was her second husband's name?

[Lydart]

Nanny Jan recommened this book (which I browsed when staying with her this week) ...

'My Ancestor was an Agricultural Labourer' pub by Society of Genealogists ... you can order it through  ...

www.sog.org.uk


I've ordered a copy ...

[oldcrone]

Any help is gratefully received, coombs!

My g-g-g-grandmother's name was Elizabeth Hasting(s); she married John Boys in 1834 in Alciston.  She had 6 children with John Boys who died in 1846: then had twins (Caroline and William Boys) in 1850 (father unknown).  She had another son, Eli Stevens Boys, in 1855.

The father of, at least, Eli was Henry Stevens (Stephens).

[toni*]

sometimes ag lab was seasonal work so they would work all hours during the smmer and inthe winter spend what they had earnt through the summer

[coombs]

Yes I just looked up Elizabeth Boys in 1851 and 1861. Born c1814 in Alfriston.

She wed Henry Stevens in 1864 so the gap between her husbands death and her remarriage was 18 years. Yes, often children were given fathers names as middle names if they were born out of wedlock but if the parents were about to marry, they probably didnt bother to. I reckon Henry could have been the father of the twins William and Caroline. Maybe he was giving her financial support.

On the subject, when my ancestor Thomas Roberts fathered a child to a young woman when his wife was seriously ill, he probably just saw her as comfort during his hours of darkness and with no birth control, he got her pregnant. No wonder why they swiftly moved to London in the spring of 1864 from Sussex.

Ben

[Berlin-Bob]

I've added this topic to the other 3 topics on Agriculural Labourers in the
RootsChat Reference Library => Lexicon ^{(click here)}

Bob