Locative surnames in cities before census and BMD eras.

[coombs]

I have Goodacre's in 1700s Bermondsey, and the surname is a Leicestershire name.

Also my Jerome ancestors of Bermondsey in the 1700s can be traced back to Scropton, Derbyshire. My ancestor Parmenas Jerome's dad was William Jerome, a feltmaker according to his children's baptisms. I found his London apprenticeship records for 1696, and he wed in 1703. The 1696 apprenticeship abstracts said he was the son of Robert Jerome a yeoman of Scropton.

I cannot get back further than William Goodacre born c1710 but if he had midland ancestor or was from there originally, then it seems many of my Bermondsey kinfolk originally came from the Midlands.

[Treetotal]

Inkpen surname distribution and meaning here:

https://forebears.io/surnames/inkpen#:~:text=The%20surname%20Inkpen%20occurs%20mostly,people%2C%20or%201%20in%2080%2C625.

Carol

[Kiltpin]

Good link Treetotal, thanks. 

Regards 

Chas

[coombs]

Thanks for the link Treetotal.

[Treetotal]

It is really good for tracing the movement of the population using related surnames.
Glad it is of some use for you all.
Carol

[coombs]

You may strike lucky with pre census ancestors in towns and cities who left a will or were subject to a poor law record stating where they were once settled. Or they had a rare name, or they were immigrants such as Huguenots who kept great records. My ancestor Susan Fradine born 1765 had one immigrant parent, her French father who was one of the last Huguenots to come to the UK. Susan's mother's grandparents were all born in France, as was one parent, her father. I embrace my Huguenot ancestry.

[DianaCanada]

I have a 3x Sussex great-grandmother named French; figure someone hoped over the Channel at around the time surnames were becoming permanent.

[coombs]

I was reading my book last night about tracing Huguenot ancestry and it did say you can hit a dead end in genealogy in the 1700s (which is quite well known) but it was also a time of great mobility. Trouble is it is not easy proving they came from somewhere else unless you hit lucky.

Glad my 5xgreat grandmother Susannah Fradine chose to romance a man named Dennis Helsdon in the 1780s and marry him, and not a John Smith. I was soon able to prove my 5xgreat grandfather Dennis came from Norfolk.

[coombs]

Bumping this thread due to special mention of my ancestor Joseph Stillington/Shillington/Stinnington born c1700. By 1728 he married widow Susan Saward at the Fleet, and Joseph said he was a brick maker of Romford, Essex. Susan was of Langdon Hills. Susan died and Joseph remarried to my ancestor Martha Kilby nee Lavender in 1745. Joseph had children Robert, Joseph, Ann, Martha and Mary. Joseph died in 1751 in Langdon Hills.

The surname Stillington/Shillington/Stinnington is a surname found mainly in the Leics/Rutland/Yorks/Notts and Derbyshire area of England. I have not yet been able to find concrete evidence of Joseph's life before his 1728 wedding. But it is likely he had ancestors from the Midlands. He may have been born in London area then moved eastwards, or he may even have been born in the Midlands and moved south for work, or did an apprenticeship down south then settled in Essex. There is a chance I may never know for sure but he is a particular ancestor of interest.

Looking up keywords "brickmaker" and "Romford" I found a John Hollingseed of Romford married at the Fleet in 1731. The surname Hollingseed is a Staffordshire surname. I very much doubt he was connected to Joseph Stillington but it is likely an example of how people moved around for work.