Irish immigrants to Whitwood 1840's

[corinne]

Would like to hear from anyone with Irish ancestors who immigrated to Whitwood/Normanton in the late 1840's.  Particularly interested in those who came from Co. Wicklow.

[Ticker]

Hi Corinne

Sorry we haven't been able to help you so far on this one. 

Have you made any progress,  or do you have any further details that could help someone to find what you are looking for?

Look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes 

Ticker

[corinne]

I'm not looking for anything specific here, unless there is something on the Sennett family.  I'm really trying to build up a picture of the Irish community in Whitwood, and if possible find out if most of them came from the same village areas in Ireland or were further spread out.

[plonker]

Hi Corinne
My family came over from Ireland around 1800 to Birmingham and ended up in Whitwood Castleford for the last 150 years. Iknow some other families that did the same.
It was because deep mining started in Castleford and they needed specialist miners. The companies advertised far and wide.
The names i know of are ...Powell. Gill. Slattery.Gibbon.Townsend. There must be  thousands from Ireland.
Its only this year that i found out we are of Irish blood (very proud i am too) but am still trying to find out which county.
If i can be of any further help please ask, its a fascinating subject.
cheers
plonker

[dave the tyke]

Late 1840's was exactly the time of the Irish Potato famine. Two of my Irish ancestors - O'Haras appeared on the 1851 census with children born up to 1848 in Ireland and one born 1851 in England so I am able to date their crossing within a couple of years.
I assume that various places throughout England had an influx of Irish immigrants at about the same time.
Sorry I am unable to add anything else

Dave

[corinne]

Plonker, that bit about advertising far and wide for specialist miners really rings a bell with me.  My Sennetts (Sinnott) were in the Avoca copper mines directly prior to going to Whitwood, and it does seem that a number of families emigrated from Avoca about the same time.  What is even more interesting is that it would also appear that a generation or so before, it was cornish miners going to Avoca!  Given that the Sennett name is also really common in cornwall, I wouldn't be surprised to find that my Sennetts, far from being Irish through and through, were originally from cornwall!

[KayBSpace]

Hello I realise this is wayyyy late but I have Sennetts in my family tree from Whitwood and they lived on Irish Row

[corinne]

kayBSpace - I'd love to hear from you and share information.  If you use the contact link at the bottom of the Sennett study page (at the Guild of One Name Studies) that will reach me direct http://one-name.org/name_profile/sennett/  Let me know where you fit in.  My line goes from Joseph and Julia Ann Sennett, via Frank, Edward, Phyllis (my grandmother born Normanton 1907), but I have a lot more information than just my line.