Norfolk ... coal miners?!

[bugbear]

I was searching for the extended family tree of Cleer Sewell Alger a (locally) famous photographer.

By chance, I found a person I don't think is a close relative, but is most interesting.

One "John Alger", born around 1830, possibly in Fersfield.

What's surprising is that he's living, from 1851-1891 in Shildon, County Durham.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shildon

What's more, once I went from the transcription to the actual census, it became apparent that some of his neighbours came from the same area as him.

in 1851, picking out Norfolk places of birth;
HO107/ 2385/567 p 28
Fersfield,
Shelfanger,
Roydon,
Wortham (Suffolk),
Shelfanger,
Bressingham,
Fersfield,
Roydon,
Bressingham,

ditto, 1861 (far fewer);
RG 9/ 3708/ 61 p 28
Shelfanger,
Winfarthing,
Fersfield,

In the 1851 census, one couple, both with Norfolk places of birth have a daughter born in Shildon, 1828, so any migration must precede that date.

Hoping this is of interest. If anyone knows more about Norfolk coal miners, I'd love to hear about it.

     BugBear

[Duodecem]

Hi BugBear,
It seems to have been fairly common for farm labourers to have made the move north for work during the C19th, and it was probably resonably easy for families from East Anglia to travel up the coast.
There are several posts on this topic which may interest you.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=481634.36

And then I found some of my own ancestors had moved North East from Norfolk,so I started a couple of posts:
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=650066.msg4965333#msg4965333
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=649914.msg4963912#msg4963912

I hope the links work!
Jan

[Pennines]

Yes I agree with Jan -- Norfolk and Suffolk were mainly rural areas and if there was a bad harvest - people employed in agriculture would be starving and claiming poor relief.

As far as I know, arrangements were made between Poor Law Guardians in the industrail North and those in Norfolk and Suffolk (and probably other rural areas) -- to move fit and healthy families to places such as Lancashire and Yorkshire (and other areas) - to work in the mills.

Many were despatched North by canal boats -- also in the instructions they were given, they were advised to bring warm clothing!!

[Redroger]

At least two Ayres relatives of mine from Lode near Cambridge, ag labs moved North as a result of the agricultural depression, one became a steel worker in Rotherham, descendants still there, and another moved to Middlesbrough, not tracked further.

[bugbear]

It looks to me as if some kind of recruitment went on; the places named in the census in my Alger post are not only from Norfolk, they're from a *tiny area* of Norfolk. The distance from Kenninghall to Wortham is just under 7 miles

    BugBear

[Gibel]

All but Wortham were in the Guiltcross Union area. Maybe the Union had links to the mines. Could some of the mines have belonged to someone who also has land in the Union area.?

The Union was dissolved in 1902 and the villages moved to other Unions.

[StefanD99]

Hi,
The migration did not happen just to the North East of England.
A branch of my wife's family, originally from the Burgate and Bressingham areas of Norfolk, moved to the West Riding of Yorkshire around 1860. Four siblings, their wives, husbands and young children, moved to the industrialised area near Leeds, some to become miners. I understand East Anglia was suffering economically at that time.
Another branch moved from South Lincolnshire to the Rotherham and Barnsley areas, along with other unconnected families.
I wonder if Employers actively recruited workers from other parts of the country?

Stefan

[Redroger]

A check of newspapers in the area of migration should confirm that. Remember though that many of the community whose jobs had been destroyed had very limited if any literacy, and certainly no money for such luxuries as newspapers.I think much would come back onto the local poor law guardians, in otherwords the Workhouse.

[Creasegirl]

My norfolk family the Lowns moved to Northumberland to work in the mines.  I read somewhere that in many mining towns the majority were from Norfolk.  I put it down to the change of working habits as looking at previous census they were all agricultural labourers working on estates like Gunton but due to mechanisation they probably didnt need as many people any more. I also think that agricultural labourers houses may have been owned by where they worked so if they didnt have a job they would have been evicted