« Reply #13 on: Saturday 19 January 13 13:38 GMT (UK) »
When trying to trace family and why/how they moved about the country it's useful to enter GENUKI and the town name into your browser to see the possible connections. For instance the Harrogate page shows it is a Spa town (with curative waters) and belongs to the church parish of Knaresborough a couple of miles away. The Knaresborough page shows links to a few trade directories plus the churches in Harrogate and also it lists the main produce of the area is growing flax to make linen cloth, but importantly it's on the River Nidd which flows down to the River Humber Estuary and coincidentally the town of Hull is also on the River Humber. travel by barge, boat and ships was the means by which people travelled most easily and from the big rich port of Hull you could end up in London, or Kent or anywhere across the world. Fairs were important because not only did they bring traders to sell their wares they were also job markets. For example when ports started to thrive stonemasons were required to build houses for the newly rich merchants and you'll find masons were brought from all parts of the UK.
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/WRY/Knaresborough/index.html
Aberdeen: Findlay-Shirras,McCarthy: MidLothian: Mason,Telford,Darling,Cruikshanks,Bennett,Sime, Bell: Lanarks:Crum, Brown, MacKenzie,Cameron, Glen, Millar; Ross: Urray:Mackenzie: Moray: Findlay; Marshall/Marischell: Perthshire: Brown Ferguson: Wales: McCarthy, Thomas: England: Almond, Askin, Dodson, Well(es). Harrison, Maw, McCarthy, Munford, Pye, Shearing, Smith, Smythe, Speight, Strike, Wallis/Wallace, Ward, Wells;Germany: Flamme,Ehlers, Bielstein, Germer, Mohlm, Reupke