----- Original Message ----- From: "Carolyn Perkes" <cperkes@videotron.ca> Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 5:36 AM Subject: [Ess] Great and Little Hallingbury I think you've rather answered your own question by stating that it is a rural area! Like everything else, farming was becoming much more industrialised in the 19th century and machines were taking the places of many agricultural labourers. Rural life (for the labouring classes) was as bad, if not worse than life in the poorest area of the cities. Many farm workers lived in tied accomodation, so as soon as they were too old or infirm to work, they were thrown out and usually ended up in the workhouse. Families were large by today's standards, so there were more and more people chasing few and fewer jobs. The cities and/or emigration offered work and a chance of betterment. Many of my ancestors from the Essex/Hertfordshire borders ended up as bricklayers in London, which was then a city in rapid construction. I haven't actually added it up but I would say that a good 90% of my ancestors who had been born into a rural/agricultural labourer background ended up in London by 1890. Although I have only a couple of connections in Great and Little Hallingbury, my main SEARLE line came from Bishop's Stortford, a few miles to the west in Hertfordshire. My 3xgt. grandfather died in Hertford prison after being arrested whilst carrying out a burglary and three of his sons were transported to Australia for quite (by today's standards) minor crimes. So, rural living conditions were pretty harsh and so was the punishment handed out for crime. If you google "rural life 1800s", you will find quite a few websites that will give you some idea of what life was like in the countryside in that period. Barbara

On 26-Aug-08, at 10:13 AM, barbara scott wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carolyn Perkes" <cperkes@videotron.ca > > > Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 5:36 AM > Subject: [Ess] Great and Little Hallingbury > > I think you've rather answered your own question by stating that it > is a rural area! Like everything else, farming was becoming much > more industrialised in the 19th century and machines were taking the > places of many agricultural labourers. Rural life (for the > labouring classes) was as bad, if not worse than life in the poorest > area of the cities. Many farm workers lived in tied accomodation, > so as soon as they were too old or infirm to work, they were thrown > out and usually ended up in the workhouse. Families were large by > today's standards, so there were more and more people chasing few > and fewer jobs. > > The cities and/or emigration offered work and a chance of > betterment. Many of my ancestors from the Essex/Hertfordshire > borders ended up as bricklayers in London, which was then a city in > rapid construction. I haven't actually added it up but I would say > that a good 90% of my ancestors who had been born into a rural/ > agricultural labourer background ended up in London by 1890. > > Although I have only a couple of connections in Great and Little > Hallingbury, my main SEARLE line came from Bishop's Stortford, a few > miles to the west in Hertfordshire. My 3xgt. grandfather died in > Hertford prison after being arrested whilst carrying out a burglary > and three of his sons were transported to Australia for quite (by > today's standards) minor crimes. So, rural living conditions were > pretty harsh and so was the punishment handed out for crime. > > If you google "rural life 1800s", you will find quite a few websites > that will give you some idea of what life was like in the > countryside in that period. > > Barbara Will google further. My people from Essex, at least as far as I can tell, were Saltmarshes and Thurleys (some of the Thurleys got transported to Australia). The ancestor who arrived in Canada became a landscape gardener and later, a park superintendant. Carolyn