The George Askew Story Part 1 - Five Generations of Agricultural Labourers

I believe there is an interesting story to be told about my maternal great grandfather George Askew. Around 1870 when he would have been eighteen years old, he made the move from the tiny village of Toynton St Peter in the wilds of Linconshire to Rotherham to work in the coalfields. To understand what prompted this move, I wanted to look at his background and found that he was the fifth generation of agricultural labourers who all lived and worked in this hard fenland country.

It was my searches on the International Genealogical Index that found the ancestors of George Askew. But only after  Ruth at Lincolnshire Family History Society who enlightened me on the various spellings of Askew, Ascough and Ayscough. (See postings of 5th and 7th December 2011).

The five generations are:

Thomas Ascough born approximately 1735 married to Susanah.

John Ascough christened on 20th October 1758 at Toynton St Peter, one of five children.. Married to Mary.

John Ayscough christened on 4th November 1781 at Toynton St Peter. Married to Elizabeth.

James Ayscough christened on 27th March 1808 at Toynton All Saints, one of three children.. Married Lucy Sharpe on 20th September 1833 at Wainfleet St Mary, Lincs.

George Askew born on 27th December 1852 at Toynton St Peter, one of eight children. Married Jane Cuthbertson on 23rd November 1873 at Rotherham Parish Church (where his son Ralph married Edith Leather on 1st August 1921 and their daughter (my mother) married my father on 7th December 1943). George's birth certificate records his surname as Askew but the marriage certificate says Ascough. Hence why it has taken me so long to track down the record of their marriage.

We know from the Census of 1851 that George's father James was an agricultural labourer and that on the Census of 1861 George's two elder brothers are similarly employed. So I am probably safe in assuming that their ancestors were too.

However, to understand why George left home to be a coal miner, I want to look at some background to farming in this part of Lincolnshire.