Cornish Miners who migrated to Durham

[lizziehow]

I am trying to follow a lead back to Cornwall from my grandfathers family who moved to Murton possibly by the 1870s. His name was Thomas Spry and there were 2 Sprys I know of who died in colliery disasters. Does anyone know of any research on the Cornish miners?

[Barbara Wilkinson]

Try the Cornwall Family History Society

they have lots of interests in different structures of local society - almost certain there will be something on the miners

[Mark]

Try also the Durham mining website, eg

http://www.dmm.org.uk/names/names_sp.htm

and perhaps in particular

http://www.dmm.org.uk/names/a1937-01.htm

Mark

[AnnB]

There is also a site called 'Cornish Mining' on http://www.cornish-mining.org.uk/comcult/migrat.htm

Best wishes
Ann

[lilianwellburn]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/immig_emig/england/cornwall/article_1.shtml

This BBC website explains why you could find a Cornishman in every mine.

My G G grandfather (Francis Carhart) and his two sons John and William brought their families from St Minver in Cornwall to Wingate between 1861 and 1881.

In the family tree Ann Spry married a distant cousin John Carhart 22 Oct 1839 in Bodmin.

[Murtonia]

Dont know about any research, but part of Murton is still known locally as Cornwall. (All the streets have Cornish place names). When the shaft was sunk in the 1840s a considerable number of miners came up from Devon and Cornwall. My husband's grandfather and great grandfather amongst them in the 1860's. I understand they came north because of lack of employment in Devon and Cornwall. Hope this is of some help.