Staffordshire Travellers

[Kaliannan]

The 1861 Census for Wednesfield  lists the following families Boswell, Lovell, Cashmore. living in tents in BUGGINS Lane Wednesfield. Occupations Travelling Braziers 9 menders of pots and pans) and a Clothes peg Dealer.

Does any one know the location of Buggins lane?

Thanks,
Phil

[gmspromo]

I'm lead to believe that "Buggins Lane" became "Deans Road" and that it was next to an open heath area (possibly the one that still exists north of Deans Road) or part of what is now "Heath Town". I've been looking into this myself, due to the following burial record in the same location 10 years previous, and it specifically mentions "Buggins Lane Heath";

County    Staffordshire
Place    Wednesfield
Church name    St Thomas
Register type    Unspecified
Register entry number    21553
Burial date    11 Mar 1851
Person age    7
Burial person forename    Hannah
Burial person surname    LOVELL
Burial person abode    Buggins Lane Heath

Hope this is of some help to you!

Gary

The 1861 Census for Wednesfield  lists the following families Boswell, Lovell, Cashmore. living in tents in BUGGINS Lane Wednesfield. Occupations Travelling Braziers 9 menders of pots and pans) and a Clothes peg Dealer.

Does any one know the location of Buggins lane?

Thanks,
Phil

[Kaliannan]

Thank you for that information. It will help. I am lookoing at the mines in the Heath area.

Thank again.

Phil

[janicejo]

Does anyone know of any Romany gypsy settlement or camp in Penkridge, Staffordshire?  I'm trying to find out more about my 3g grandfather william Riley, b. around 1775 in Staffordshire, according to the 1841 census,  There is a William born to a Jane Riley  in Penkridge in 1771.  I got a DNA match to someone with an ancestor born in Brewood, Staffordshire in 1802.  This ancestor's father was not named.  But the amount of DNA suggests a 3g grandparent would be the link, and this match has about the same amount of Romany "South Asia" as my brother does.  Brewood and Penkridge appear to be around 5 miles (8 km) apart.

[Layla Ozdemir]

i have a few of those names, here is my dna list

Smith (39)
Brown (28)
Johnson (17)
Williams (17)
Jones (16)
Taylor (15)
Lewis (13)
Martin (13)
Wilson (13)
Clark (12)
Davis (12)
Green (12)
Anderson (11)
Carter (10)
Evans (10)
Scott (10)
Wright (10)
King (9)
Miller (9)
Price (9)

[MeirSoul]

Whilst hunting for my Hudsons, I found them in what appears to be a traveller community in both the 1841 census and the 1851 census. I've noted down some of the surnames of possible travellers which may be of help to anyone searching for their ancestors in this area.

Smithy Lane, Uttoxeter:

RILEY, BLOOR, ROBINSON, NOLAN, HODGKINSON, FIELDSTAFF, BENTLY, BOOKER, MITCHELL, NEALD, HARRIS, COPE, MARTIN, HILL, EDWARDS, HUDSON, MOORE, BOND, TAYLOR, DALE

Hi . I am descendened from the Neilds and Hodgkinsons of smithy lane in Uttoxeter.  I strongly suspect gypsy / romani roots for these people but am unable to 100% confirm anything

[Garen]

Hi . I am descendened from the Neilds and Hodgkinsons of smithy lane in Uttoxeter.  I strongly suspect gypsy / romani roots for these people but am unable to 100% confirm anything

I am also related to the Smithy Lane Hodgkins and Nield families. Definitely Gypsy connections, if not necessarily full Romani. The Hodgkins/ons clan are to be found all over - Uttoxeter, Rugely, Tutbury, Penkridge, Wolverhampton - often when travelling they are described as 'of Cheslyn Hay' (or sometimes Wyrley Bank), and many of them have earlier branches there.

Some of my research: https://www.garenewing.co.uk/family/hodgkins.html

Best - Garen.

[janicejo]

I have Riley's from Staffordshire,  starting in Wednesbury and Alrewas,  and ending up in the coal mines of Staffordshire.   It's been difficult to trace, as I think they settled in the 1700s or earlier.   I know I have  2.6% South Asian DNA on Gedmatch,  and I know my great grandmother and her kids were speaking Romany.  But the Romany purists have decided im Irish, so we're not talking right now.

[MeirSoul]

Hi . I am descendened from the Neilds and Hodgkinsons of smithy lane in Uttoxeter.  I strongly suspect gypsy / romani roots for these people but am unable to 100% confirm anything

I am also related to the Smithy Lane Hodgkins and Nield families. Definitely Gypsy connections, if not necessarily full Romani. The Hodgkins/ons clan are to be found all over - Uttoxeter, Rugely, Tutbury, Penkridge, Wolverhampton - often when travelling they are described as 'of Cheslyn Hay' (or sometimes Wyrley Bank), and many of them have earlier branches there.

Some of my research: https://www.garenewing.co.uk/family/hodgkins.html

Best - Garen.

Great stuff . It seems as though my ancestors lived in houses on Smithy Lane and rarely travelled.  There is nothing on the census which says they lived in a tent , caravan and nothing that states "Romany/Gipsy/Traveller/Tinker" or such like . Was it normal for gypsy folk to be settled in the 1800's?

Smithy Lane , although a street with houses does appear to be some sort of gypsy settlement . The surnames present such as Cooper, Bond, Bloor etc as well as occupations like Besom maker, Umbrella maker , and Hawker  are extremely common.  My Neilds and Hodgkins(ons) appeared in the local papers frequently for poaching and drunken assaults .  John Neild was involved in a fist fight with a man called Grundy in which Grundy unfortunately died as a result . Im assuming this might of been a gypsy type bare knuckle bout gone wrong.