Origins and migrations of Sugg families in England |
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ConclusionWhile bearing in mind that any conclusions drawn are based on the limited information available and that further research might necessitate their revision, it is possible to detect trends in the location and migration patterns of the Sugg family in England. The detailed information available from the 1881 and 1901 census returns clearly indicates that Sugg familes during this period were living in significant numbers in the western counties, in London and in Hampshire and were scattered very thinly elsewhere. They also show that many of those living in London had their origins in these counties and that migration was continuing.
Sugg families have been in Hampshire since the end of the 16th century and possibly for much longer. However the apparent presence of links with families in Somerset at the end of the 18th century does suggest earlier connections and the possibility of a common origin. It is quite possible that Sugg families have lived in London for a very long time but bearing in mind the longstanding attraction of the capital city to those living in other parts of the country one cannot be certain that families in London in the 17th century or earlier had not migrated from elsewhere. The Sugg families in Suffolk seem to have been rather out on a limb. The earliest records discovered anywhere in the country were from the 15th century and from this region. However, documents from other areas and of the same period or even earlier may simply not have survived and no firm conclusion may reasonably be based on this fact alone. The virtual disappearance of the family from Suffolk in the 16th or 17th century is interesting but may have no particular significance. It is worth pointing out that the migration of a single family from Somerset, or from anywhere else, to any one of the other areas at an early date would have been sufficient to result in the creation of a new group of Sugg families. But this is mere speculation! The Saxons peopled each of the areas concerned and it is possible that Suggs from Germany and Denmark arrived in all of them. They may or may not have been related to each other and consequently it is by no means certain that Sugg families in different parts of the country had the same ancestors. The name was apparently uncommon however or it would probably have been much more widespread in later years. There are many areas in which the Saxons settled where Suggs have not been found. Following the settlement and assimilation of the Saxons into the population as a whole in the 6th and 7th centuries the common language incorporated many words of Germanic origin. The name ‘Sugg’ may have been used as a nickname long after the arrival of the Saxons. Again, if this were the situation, it might be expected that the name would be found in more parts of the country than has proved to be the case. Patterns of migration from the beginning of the 19th century are clear. Earlier evidence concerning the location of Sugg families is also reasonably reliable. There remains however a considerable period after the initial arrival of the Saxons in this country about which very little is known. No written documents survive and archeological evidence is very sparse. Was there originally one Sugg family to which all others are related? Did related or unrelated Sugg families settle in different parts of the country? These questions are all relevant but realistically the information gap probably holds the answers and it is quite possible that they will always remain hidden.
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