I have always loved history, archeology, cartography, genealogy and many other ology’s, and lately my interest in family history came to the fore again.
Perhaps it’s my age, but all the strands of knowledge I have built up I am now bringing together. This includes sending my DNA to be analyised. I saw that trowel chap Phil on Time Team getting the result of his DNA tests, and I loved the way he was jumping up and down when they told him that through his maternal line he originated in the Dordogne area in France. Phil is a big fan of flint knapping, and the Dordogne area was famed for this.
They then went on to tell Phil that he is Celtic, and it is highly likely that his ancestors were amongst the first into Britain around 20,000 years ago. Bless him; he was fairly dancing with joy!
I suppose I am very much like Phil, as I get a thrill from stuff like this – although my 10 year old girl just rolls her eyes and switches off.
On specific family history on my Dad’s side, the Urwin’s were Pitmen, or Miners as we say now. My goodness what a tough lot they were! My great great grandfather William was a hewer, meaning he was hacking at a 2 foot seam on his back hundreds of feet underground for 10 hours a day. Oh, and by the way he was 66 years old!
On 19th August 1851, he and his son Thomas, aged 36, were at work at
Washington ‘F’ Pit together with 35 other men. There was a huge explosion, and all were killed. This left Thomas’s wife Mary to bring up 5 children by herself. As a consequence, my great grandfather George, aged 4 when the tragedy happened, went down the pit aged 8. He worked at the mines for the next 70 years until his death.
It was my grandfather, George again, who was the first Urwin to escape the pits. He was canny, and bought property as well as inheriting newsagents, which my dad took over.
The other avenue I intend to research is why the Urwin’s (Irving’s) almost all in the west borders of England/Scotland came to Durham? The favourite is simply that the mines opened and offered a penny a day to work there. Cue mass exodus from the borders to Durham!
If any of you fancy having a go at this sort of thing, let me know how you get on. The technology of Ancestry.co.uk is amazing, and within minutes you could find many of your ancestors.
I will let you know when my DNA results come in – I hope to be dancing like Phil!
