About The Ortons of Mansfield & Beyond.
Please sign in to see more. One of my early memories is that of my grandmother Emma Orton (nee Hayes) telling me of the story behind the unusual name Efford - apparently a traditional middle name amongst Ortons. 34 years later after the discovery of a well worn family bible from my wife Ann's (nee Hays) family, we embarked upon the fascinating road of geneology.
The Ortons it seems were predominantly Frame Work Knitters, or as referred to in earlier years Stockingers, (Hand Knitted Hose) a poorly paid trade which flourished in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Aberdeen. With the introduction of powered frames came hard work and poor wages. "As poor as a stockinger" became a common saying. The frames required good eyesight, good coordination, and much effort to operate.
Not all Ortons were framework knitters and there are a few examples so far of those who broke free of the trade and became well known employers and celebrities of Mansfield, being mentioned in various works of local history.
I trust those who may visit these pages will find them interesting, useful and indeed of some help in pursuing their own family history. For some additional notes about my early research mistakes, and social conditions for the Ortons in Mansfield please visit http://www.squidoo.com/ortonfamily
|