Search for content in message boards

Did most people migrate South rather than North?

Did most people migrate South rather than North?

Posted: 20 Nov 2012 8:15PM GMT
Classification: Query
My family tree gets further and further North the further I go back. Lots of branches end in Scotland and the others in the far North of England. Would I be right in assuming people tended to migrate South rather than the other way round?

Re: Did most people migrate South rather than North?

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 9:48AM GMT
Classification: Query
Chloe,
People went to where they could survive better, which for most means jobs.
Before mechanisation most employment was on the land and so jobs were spread fairly evenly over the country. With the reduction of work on the land many people had to find work in the mines, mills, factories etc created by the Industrial Revolution and most of these were in the North - Staffordshire to Newcastle on Tyne.

London has always been getting bigger and I expect this was largely by people moving to there.

So it's a mix.

Bryan

Re: Did most people migrate South rather than North?

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 11:24AM GMT
Classification: Query
Hi,

Many people in the 19th century worked on the land where wages could be pretty low. In Essex, for example, the wages were some of the lowest in the country & the fledgling farm workers union encouraged men to move North to create a labour shortage & thus push up wages. Not sure how successful it was as some did move away, but subsequently moved back South. In the West country, Somerset coalminers would move to the pits in South Wales as their demand for labour grew. I've found in my research that where work is scarce people move, conversely there is less movement when there is plenty of work to be had.

Regards

Clive
per page

Find a board about a specific topic