RootsChat.Com
Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Wales => Pembrokeshire => Topic started by: Griffl on Saturday 20 December 14 17:19 GMT (UK)
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I have a line of ancestors that came from Haverfordwest in the South of the county which I have back to around 1800 at the moment but I'm early on in my research on this line.
They all have Welsh surnames, where as a majority I would say in the parish registers have English surnames...
So I am wondering whether the Welsh surnames denote that they were of Welsh Ancestry and had just migrated to the south of the county as it was richer.....
Any one have any guesses?
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Haverfordwest is only about about 6-8 miles South of the so called Landsker line dividing the Welsh speaking part of Pembrokeshire to the North from the English speaking part to the South. I would think you are correct suggesting that people with Welsh surnames from the North of the county would have migrated to the more favourable Southern part.
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Possibly a good opportunity to have a basic dna test done if you have a close/direct link with your Pembrokeshire line. There have been all sorts going up and down the coast there, above and below the Landsker line - including Henry Tudors supporters and Vikings and heaven knows who else in the distant past.
J
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Jen, yes that is quite possible... although certainly not with the Havefordwest lines as they are quite distant
But
my direct paternal line is from around a little parish called St.Issells near Amroth on the Pembs Carms borders a little below the linguistic line...
So I wonder whether they came from the welsh speaking part or Carmarthenshire originally ...
I have though, read a book on the landsker line and it says parished specifically as St Issells were anglicised late in the mediaeval period compared to the most of of Sotuh pembs which was fairly early on.
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My great-grandmother was a Buckney.