Advanced Genealogy
Migration Increase
Industrial Migration
Britain was transformed during the nineteenth century. In 1801 the population was 9.1 million; by 1911 it stood at more than 36 million.
At the beginning of the century the population was predominantly rural; by the end it was urban. The flight from country to city spread across the land, and towns such as Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh grew exponentially as people left their rural birthplaces in search or work. London had 865,000 inhabitants in 1801; a hundred years later it boasted 4.5 million. Much of this can be by the industrial revolution, which, particularly in places such as Lancashire and Yorkshire, saw factories and mills making established cottage industries in rural areas obsolete. Britain became a varied, multifaceted place. New industries sprung up alongside traditional crafts, while other trades withered and died. Young people often left the bosom of their families and sought a trade in industrial areas.
Social Migration
Social mobility was still restricted, though a new middle class was in the process of being born, but social migration was on the increase. Where once families has lived in the same area for centuries, people now moved in search of work, usually from villages and hamlets to the nearest urban centre.
It can be fascinating to trace the route your family took: the path that leads directly to you. Nebulous as such labels are, we would now be considered middle class. Who was the person, or what was the event, that changed the path of your family? Who knows – you may discover your family were well to do, perhaps members of the landed class then lost it all. Social mobility works both ways, down as well as up.