Moll/Mohl from Solingen, Germany

[Hanford]

Hello,

I am a direct descendent from the Moll/Mohl family from Solingen and Gruibingen, they fled to Durham from Solingen after breaking a sword makers guild or for religious reasons.
One of them, Martin Moll, is listed as a Mayor, and another also called Martin Moll was an Actor.... I was wondering if there'd be any records of their careers? Or of the families immigration to England in the 1600s?

Thank you 

[pb3]

Rachey

            I have attached a PDF showing the burial records for the Mohl family up to 1812 in Ebchester graveyard in north west Durham. There may be other burials after this date but I have yet to access the later records for this church. I have not yet completed the monumental inscriptions for Ebchester church but there are none for Mohl in those so far covered.

      A number of German families came across to make swords in the Shotley Bridge area of County Durham. These included the Oley, Wopper and Mohl families as well as several others.

      For a very good source of information on the swordmakers have a look at 'Thread of Iron' by Douglas Vernon, ISBN 1 903607 33 7. This covers the history of Iron and Steel making in the Derwent valley of north west Durham and is very comprehensive.
     
      Other sources of information on the swordmakers are 'The Hollow Blade' by John G. Bygate, ISBN 1 870 268 253 and 'The Shotley Bridge swordmakers:their strange history' by David Richardson. I don't know the ISBN for this last book but it was published by Frank Graham in, I think, 1973 and is now out of print; your local library will probably be able to unearth a copy.

            PatB.

[Hanford]

Thank you so much for the Ebchester graveyard attachment  there's a few ancestors on there whose deaths I couldn't find so that is really helpful 

I'll try to find the books you've recommended, it would be very interesting finding out more about their lives ect 

[pb3]

Rachey

            I've attached a PDF of another couple of Moll burials which I came across while checking some other records in the Blackhill burial records database. I hope they are of some relevance to your researches. Cutlers Hall is in Shotley Bridge, just down the road from Blackhill cemetery.

              PatB.

[Hanford]

Ohhh thank you so much! 
 I've been looking for the burial of John Thomas Mole, nice to have his grave number, may have a visit when I'm up north 

[Marku]

im a descendant of the Oley's (or Ohlig) from my dads mum's side :-) , i went to the village it was fasinating to see the local history.

[Hanford]

Hello 

I would love to go to Solingen and Shotley Bridge, both places look fanastic... There is loads online about the Oley's, you definitely have the more famous side 

[Marku]

i went to the pub the oleys owned and the people in there were rather shocked/surprised of my ancestry. lol. its a worthwhile visit, i found some gravestones too

[Hanford]

Bet they weren't expecting to meet a local famous person 
Have you seen the photographs of the sword factory before? I have a link to them if you haven't, not much of it left there though, I think it's been fully demolished now