Origins and migrations of Sugg families in England
 

Origins and migrations of Sugg families in England

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Beginnings
What's in the name?
The Saxons

Early Evidence
Suffolk
Somerset & Dorset
Hampshire
London

After 1837
Suffolk & Hampshire
Western counties
London

People
Families
Emigration
Notable Suggs

Conclusion

Sources
Census returns

Monarchs

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After 1837 - London 

The population of Londoncontinued to increase rapidly at the beginning of the 19th century. It spread into the surrounding countryside and countless villages and small towns were absorbed into what came to be called Greater London. In 1800 the population was about 900,000 but by the end of

London, The Strand  1890   

the century the population had reached about 4 million and it was increasing by about 100,000 each year[i]. There was a great deal of industry, probably the largest commercial docks in the world and service industries employing hundreds of thousands of men and women but there was not enough work for all those seeking it. It was a wealthy city but there was also much extreme poverty. Life could be very hard.

In 1881 Suggs were working in a variety of fields.  Many women, from the age of 16 upwards were in service and others were listed as dressmakers. No specific occupation is given for most wives. Among the men, a number were general labourers but a coffee house keeper, a lamp lighter, clerks, soldiers, tinplate workers, a preacher, a policeman, railway plate layers and a vellum binder were also listed. Young boys worked as messengers and newsboys and one 14 year old was enrolled as a boy soldier. Other youngsters, both boys and girls, were listed as scholars.

 

 

 

Suggs registered by county
in the UK 1901 census

At the time of the 1881 census 112 of the 304 Suggs in the country as a whole were living in London. There were 25 Sugg children under the age of 11 and almost all had been born there. Of those Suggs aged 11 or more 22 had been born in other parts of the country – 16 of them in the western counties and three in Hampshire. Nine of them between the ages of 16 and 33 were single, a majority of them registered as visitors, lodgers or servants.

The figures show that families with children had settled at least 10 years earlier but that young people continued to arrive in London. Some men born elsewhere had found wives locally but others had brought their wives and families with them. Both men and women often lived initially with friends or relatives who were already established and could provide temporary accommodation.

The influx continued. In 1881 37% of all Suggs were living in Londonbut by the census of 1901 the figure was nearly 47%[ii] (see  maps ).  Some belonged to families who had lived here for many generations but others were much more recent migrants from various parts of the country, especially from Somerset. A considerable proportion of British Suggs live in or near London today.

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[i] Hey - London

[ii] See Appendix B