Ag. Lab. Lines - Sources

[david64]

Does anyone have recommendations of sources for agricultural labourer lines? Of any time period, but in particular pre-census.

I am guessing that various legal records could be useful another thing someone showed me was something, I think called a poor rates book, but it seemed to have the whole town in.

Also, what are the opinions of those tracing ag. lab. lines in regards to how far you can really expect to get back without making connections that are not particularly solid?

[suttontrust]

The only difference between agricultural labourers and anyone else was that they don't appear in directories because they were working for other people, and they didn't usually own property.  The parish registers are the obvious source pre civil registration.  You can often trace lines a long way back via the FamilySearch site, or by looking at the actual registers in the local record office, but there does come a point where there's no solid evidence that you've got the right person.
If you can't get to the record office, try the Access to Archives site or the search facility on the relevant record office site.  There are often documents such as court records which throw light on relationships.

[Bilge]

many of my Ag.Labourers turned out to be Gamekeepers of which very good records are available depending on your county area.

[coombs]

I have many ag lab ancestors and one was described as a gamekeeper on his daughters baptism in August 1851

[david64]

Thanks for the input.

@Bilge - is there anywhere in particular to look for records pertaining to gamekeepers?

My problem is that I am dealing with Welsh families: Jones, Evans, Davies etc. So it can be very difficult to do ag. labs when their name is John Jones, David Davies or Evan Evans  If they moved around in those times, it seems to pretty much be a dead end  as there is usually no indication of when and where they were born.

I have got back to people born c. 1730-1770 on ag. lab. lines, but going beyond there seems to be tricky. Luckily, there are a few more unusual names like Rowland Evans and Peter Jones.

[Bilge]

I used Glamorgan Records Office and Gloucester Records office. I also have a hard to look trace names JENKINS & ABELL.

If you go up onto top of page and select Search then type in Gamekeepers in the box you'll come up with some very useful reading.

http://www.archiveswales.org.uk/anw/get_collection.php?inst_id=37&coll_id=3225&expand=

http://www.gtj.org.uk/en/working-lives/agriculture/gamekeepers/

[coombs]

People get bored of finding yet another ag lab ancestor but we have to admire their years and years of hard work, and toil. They fed the country. And many of our ag lab ancestors may have been a team leader or something in their job.

[Bilge]

I think in those days the census enumerator probally only visted the estate main house and all people were classed as Ag.Labs that were employed by them.
I have an Ag.Lab on my wifes side that was a Coachman, but he is listed in the census as Ag.Lab. How cool is that! 

[coombs]

My ancestor Thomas Brain was a labourer on his wedding cert. He is an ag labourer on the 1841 and 1851 census but when his daughter married in 1866 she said he was a coachman. He died in 1854.