Hi Jen, I have always presumed that the family of gentry took staff with them to their new residence, being loath to lose them. or on the other hand just as happens today, they were known to friends of the gentry family (It was who you know!) By the way Bettws Bledrws is where my g.grandmother came from, but at an earlier date then what you mention. Personally I have a mystery of an ancestor from Maesteg Glam moving to Llanstinan Pembs in 1780's before industrial revolution! Best wishes Yvonne Evans ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jennifer Cairns" <jenmathias@gmail.com> To: <dyfed-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, September 04, 2009 12:12 PM Subject: [Dyfed] How did Estate Staff find jobs in the 19th C? Dear Listers Frederick Saunders, born and lived in Norfolk, came to Llangybi/Betws Bleddrws around 1887 His wife and baby (not actually married at the time of the birth Jan 1887) came to Betws where they married in April 1887, place of residence of the groom given as Derry Ormond Kennels (Betws B.) - their next baby's place of birth given as Cilgwyn Cottage, but the family appeared to have been resident at some point in Cilgwyn Uchaf. In Cilgwyn Cottage in 1891 the family in residence was another game keeper from Norfolk and his sisters (surname Dennis) - so I can presume this would be the first connection... By 1891 however Frederick Saunders and his family had moved on again to a much grander mansion to work. This was Charlborough Park estate - presumably owned by the Drax family. MY Question is:- how did gamekeepers etc find out where the jobs were in those days. Word of mouth ? But how and where ? I know that at the end of the 19th c. one of the grande dames of the area took her hunters to England to hunt (by train), and took a groom (or two?!) with them, which is one route of communication I suppose. There was no job centre in those days. And in Frederick Saunders' case he moved from Norfolk to Cardiganshire, and then in a very short time (between the censuses) moved again to a grander mansion in Dorset. How did news spread amongst the groom/game keepers of the day? I can quite see if a man starts work in a London household then he is likely to be offered something out in the wilds of Wales, but the Saunders family appeared not to have any connections with the crachach in London. I know that some gamekeepers on the Derry Ormond Estate moved, but only to the other side of town to Falcondale so a need for gamekeepers had only to travel into the nearest pub and the word would spread in the locality - unless via the estate owners themselves. Was this swooping from one side of the country to another commonplace, and how did people find out what jobs were going? Any ideas gratefully received. Jen ================================ Dyfed list http://home.clara.net/daibevan/DyfedML.html ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DYFED-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hello Jen,Yvonne If you do a search on Gareth Hicks site for fairs you will get the folowing information included at the bottom of this message. As for Yvonne's suprise at her ancester moving from the Llynfi valley to "Llanstinan Pembs in 1780's before industrial revolution!" This was the time of the Industrial Revolution. Maesteg started a little later in 1798. What people fail to realise is that before the age of the train drovers would walk from the west to the cities of England with their animals together with people looking for work. When I think of that period, the image I have is of Iolo Morganwg with a with a bundle attached to a stick carried on his shoulder and a book in the other hand walking toward Maesteg having just returned from London. I can just about manage a trip to the shops on shank's pony and that on a fine day. Gareth http://home.clara.net/tirbach/index.html Hiring Fairs Such fairs were held annually, usually in market towns. Their purpose was to assist employers in finding employees and vice versa.The latter were mainly domestics and ag labs. They were hired for 1 year. Both parties were attracted to the fairs from miles around which contributed to the mobility of families. This is the main reason for men and families jumping quite long distances between census returns, and sometimes men aquiring local wives and settling down permanently in the new area as well. It seems parish and county lines were no barrier to this movement. If your ag lab ancestor has disappeared find out where the local hiring fair was held, and what its catchment area might have been, you may be lucky. --- On Fri, 4/9/09, yvonne evans <a.y.evans@homecall.co.uk> wrote: Hi Jen, I have always presumed that the family of gentry took staff with them to their new residence, being loath to lose them. or on the other hand just as happens today, they were known to friends of the gentry family (It was who you know!)  By the way Bettws Bledrws is where my g.grandmother came from, but at an earlier date then what you mention. Personally I have a mystery of an ancestor from Maesteg Glam moving to Llanstinan Pembs in 1780's before industrial revolution! Best wishes Subject: [Dyfed] How did Estate Staff find jobs in the 19th Dear Listers Frederick Saunders, born and lived in Norfolk, came to Llangybi/Betws Bleddrws around 1887 His wife and baby (not actually married at the time of the birth Jan 1887) came to Betws where they married in April 1887, place of residence of the groom given as Derry Ormond Kennels (Betws B..) - their next baby's place of birth given as Cilgwyn Cottage, but the family appeared to have been resident at some point in Cilgwyn Uchaf.

Hi Gareth, I find your reply most intriguing! What is the most mystifying is that my ancestor David David of Llangynwyd Parish(from research possibly Bryn area of Maesteg) left the countryside of that area to one of the most remote areas of Pembrokeshire i.e. Llanstinan in approx 1780. His family parents etc remained behind. I have nearly resorted to tearing my hair out about this one!! I have even looked up Pembs gentry for Llanstinan in the hope that there is a connection They were Symmons of Llanstinan Mansion at that time(Ibelieve). I know of course that there could be a chuch connection e.g. curate. Yvonne ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gareth Morgan" <morgangareth36@yahoo.co.uk> To: "Dyfed FamHist" <dyfed@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 12:41 PM Subject: Re: [Dyfed] How did Estate Staff find jobs in the 19th C? Hello Jen,Yvonne If you do a search on Gareth Hicks site for fairs you will get the folowing information included at the bottom of this message. As for Yvonne's suprise at her ancester moving from the Llynfi valley to "Llanstinan Pembs in 1780's before industrial revolution!" This was the time of the Industrial Revolution. Maesteg started a little later in 1798. What people fail to realise is that before the age of the train drovers would walk from the west to the cities of England with their animals together with people looking for work. When I think of that period, the image I have is of Iolo Morganwg with a with a bundle attached to a stick carried on his shoulder and a book in the other hand walking toward Maesteg having just returned from London. I can just about manage a trip to the shops on shank's pony and that on a fine day. Gareth http://home.clara.net/tirbach/index.html Hiring Fairs Such fairs were held annually, usually in market towns. Their purpose was to assist employers in finding employees and vice versa.The latter were mainly domestics and ag labs. They were hired for 1 year. Both parties were attracted to the fairs from miles around which contributed to the mobility of families. This is the main reason for men and families jumping quite long distances between census returns, and sometimes men aquiring local wives and settling down permanently in the new area as well. It seems parish and county lines were no barrier to this movement. If your ag lab ancestor has disappeared find out where the local hiring fair was held, and what its catchment area might have been, you may be lucky. --- On Fri, 4/9/09, yvonne evans <a.y.evans@homecall.co.uk> wrote: Hi Jen, I have always presumed that the family of gentry took staff with them to their new residence, being loath to lose them. or on the other hand just as happens today, they were known to friends of the gentry family (It was who you know!) By the way Bettws Bledrws is where my g.grandmother came from, but at an earlier date then what you mention. Personally I have a mystery of an ancestor from Maesteg Glam moving to Llanstinan Pembs in 1780's before industrial revolution! Best wishes Subject: [Dyfed] How did Estate Staff find jobs in the 19th Dear Listers Frederick Saunders, born and lived in Norfolk, came to Llangybi/Betws Bleddrws around 1887 His wife and baby (not actually married at the time of the birth Jan 1887) came to Betws where they married in April 1887, place of residence of the groom given as Derry Ormond Kennels (Betws B..) - their next baby's place of birth given as Cilgwyn Cottage, but the family appeared to have been resident at some point in Cilgwyn Uchaf. ================================ Dyfed list http://home.clara.net/daibevan/DyfedML.html ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DYFED-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message