General Chat

. . . . they would reach to the moon and back (or something like that !). I think pretty much 80-85% of the males in my tree (certainly in my direct ancestors) were agricultural labourers. It doesn't really bother me, as they are my ancestors/relatives after all, but I must admit to a certain twinge of envy when I've done searches for other people, and they've been such things as theatrical agents, piano tuners, solicitors, doctors etc. Even the odd cabinet maker or blacksmith, for example, would make a nice change ! At least I have got a convicted arsonist in my direct line, just to add a bit of spice. What sort of occupations did your ancestors have ? Have you got a similar dearth of interesting jobs, or is your tree a bit more 'colourful' ? Simon

Simon... SNAP ! Most of mine seems to be Ag Lab and Lacemaker...

a LOT OF AGGIS TOO but then I've got tailors,blacksmiths,coachbuilders,the horse drawn type, sail makers and rope makers,a Monmouth Rebel,a Bible puncher who stood on street corners and harangued Dorchester.telephonists,clerks,mathematicians,Solicitors,Quantum Mechs,BotanistsUniversity profs,SRN's,Lecturers and teachers. The point I'm making is that with Education and the Welfare state we were able to progress and use our brains We became professional people,but this does not dimish my pride in my ancestors-Rose

Ive got a bit of a mix.Iron Ore miners, farmers and surgical instrument makers on dads side.My grans step grandfather is down as a race horse trainer(ive never heard of him lol) On my mums side they were mainy shipwrites and furniture makers Anna

A lot of mine were farmers and Calico labourers... However my great grandad was the manager of a WH Smiths in Manchester. He tried to sell Winston Churchill a copy of his own book when he visited. Apparently Mr Churchill was not impressed... Also one of my great-uncles trained the boxer Randolph Turpin... becx

Hi Simon Yes, dad's side of the family were all farmers, yeomen, ag. labs, mole catchers etc. Do you like gardening? I do but my brother doesn't..........think I inherited the genes, lol. Heather

Yes Baz,Dorchester as the county town drew them in from the villages.There are few Dorset villages without a Swaffield family.I have charted their migration from Dorset across the country.I was at a Dinner the other night and met another Swaffield relative I had heard of but never got round to finding.We were all talking in the group about our family history and swapping stories.I told the story of the Swaffield cousins who eloped to marry in the channel Islands,taking a ferry out of Weymouth.She said Yes,they were my grandparents.Isn't that lovely-Rose

We've got a nice mix of occupations - Millers, Bakers, Milkman, Coachman, Bus Drivers, Gardeners and my favourite - a Registrar. Wish he was around now as I'm sure he'd be pretty useful! Saz

Heather, Molecatchers? Where were you when Valley needed you? Lol Jim, descended from many Ag labs.

I have a lot of Ag Labs too, but also a few different ones - a couple of butchers, a gamekeeper, a brickfield owner, a brick burner, several R marines, a worker (doing several different jobs) in a cotton mill, a coachman, a grocer to name a few. Ann glos

One family group in Bridport were all employed in the rope making industry.When researching them through the censusI could not read a word on the occupation for a ten years old.It turned out to be SABOTCARVER The children carved wooden shoes through the long evenings to bring in extra money. I am lucky I can go and stand outside the very house where my gt,gt,gt,gt,grandfather was born.I can walk the spot on the Road from Crewkerne to Merriot where my gt,gt, gt Aunt was knocked down by a cart at night and killed.I nearly bought the house where my gt ,gt, gt,grandfather had his tailors business.It makes them very real.I have seen the records kept by another grandfather when he was parish clerk in1749 and run my finger over the words he wrote. I will have to stop I am getting choked up.-Rose

What an interesting thread-Rose

Yes, lots and lots of Ag Labs on my side and this seemed to be all I found for some time until one of my GGrandfathers became a Farm Bailiff, his two sons were butchers. On my husband's side the Ag Labs suddenly found the railways and this lasted through three generations to my father in law who was a Signalman on the east coast mainline until they decided to demolish all the signalboxes, luckily he was about to retire. My husband's mother's side were a bit more interesting, we have from the 1700s (mainly Sheffield based) cutlers, blade forgers, steelworkers etc. what would they think of our industrial heritage now?

Seems I'm not alone then ! Actually, to be fair, I have got a fish seller, a brickmaker and a hook diggler (?!) as well. Rose, was interested in what you said about your ancestor being a parish clerk - my gr-gr-grandfather was also a parish clerk (as well as being a, what was it now - oh, yes - agricultural labourer) for 38 yrs in the village that most of my relatives in that line came from - so any problems I've had (or anyone else has had) with Guist in Norfolk were down to him ! (Like you say, though, it is great to have such a wealth of examples of their handwriting. Simon

By the way, whilst we're on the subject of occupations, did you know that if a woman gave her occupation as a dressmaker, it was often code for quite another profession entirely !

Hi Grampa I didn't like to admit that my ancestors killed the little creatures. My cat brought one into my garden one day so I rescued it and set it free in the wood behind our house.......I think my rellies would be ashamed of me, lol. Heather

hiya simon..up to now most of mine are either ag labs or miners..ive got one shoemaker whom i found recently though,

I think it a common story, Simon. All my family were ag labs, haybinders, bricklayers, carters etc. no-one went mad, was thrown in prison or sent to the colonies. I do have a bit of adultery - well not personally, at least at the moment, and a few pregnant brides at the Alter. I think the only excitement was the Great War where my Grandad got the MC! Andy

Oh yes, and one "Potboy" in an alehouse!