Family dispersal in rural England, Herefordshire, 1700-1871
This thesis tested a methodology for tracing eighteenth- and nineteenth-century migrants, based on the Cambridge Group reconstitution methods. It began with a sample from Whitbourne parish in the under-researched county of Herefordshire, investigating the effect of regional urbanisation and industrialisation on migration choices. Longitudinal family dispersal patterns were traced, and comparisons were made with studies in other regions. The method focused on out-migration, setting spatial mobility in its wider context, and increasing its representativeness by incorporating additional search strategies for less visible groups, including married women. A high tracing rate was achieved, and the method is proposed as a viable tool for analysing migration from small rural parishes which are considered unsuitable for conventional reconstitution studies. The west midlands industrial areas were not apparently a destination for this population until the second quarter of the nineteenth century, but there were early migrants to Worcester, London, and later to Cheltenham, Cheshire and elsewhere, especially for domestic service and urban service trades. Some familial trends were observable, and others related to land
Lack, Katherine Joan
DA Great Britain
Family dispersal in rural England, Herefordshire, 1700-1871. This thesis tested a methodology for tracing eighteenth- and nineteenth-century migrants, based on the Cambridge Group reconstitution methods. It began with a sample from Whitbourne parish in the under-researched county of Herefordshire, investigating the effect of regional urbanisation and industrialisation on migration choices. Longitudinal family dispersal patterns were traced, and comparisons were made with studies in other regions. The method focused on out-migration, setting spatial mobility in its wider context, and increasing its representativeness by incorporating additional search strategies for less visible groups, including married women. A high tracing rate was achieved, and the method is proposed as a viable tool for analysing migration from small rural parishes which are considered unsuitable for conventional reconstitution studies. The west midlands industrial areas were not apparently a destination for this population until the second quarter of the nineteenth century, but there were early migrants to Worcester, London, and later to Cheltenham, Cheshire and elsewhere, especially for domestic service and urban service trades. Some familial trends were observable, and others related to land
family dispersal rural_england herefordshire test trace eighteenth nineteenth_century migrant base cambridge group reconstitution method begin sample parish under_researched county herefordshire investigate_effect regional urbanisation industrialisation migration choice longitudinal family dispersal pattern trace comparison_make study region method focus out migration set spatial mobility wider_context increase representativeness incorporate additional search strategy less visible group include married woman high trace rate achieve method propose viable tool analyse migration small rural parish consider unsuitable conventional reconstitution study west_midlands industrial area apparently destination population early migrant worcester london later cheshire elsewhere especially domestic_service urban service trade familial trend observable others related land