What an interesting question LOTTABOTTLE. This is something I have often wondered about, how did they get to Yorkshire? Some I presume would already have relations who had already settled in the mining areas of Yorkshire and would possibly gone to stay with the family to have a look round before making up their minds whether to move their families up North. It must have been quite an expensive undertaking. One suspects that a financial inducement was offered by the various mine owners to the men in the Forest of Dean and other mining areas, perhaps help with the removal costs? Some stayed and some went back to the areas they had originated from. Did they come by train or carrier or some other means of transport? Regards Jean Herbert

http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=7674

http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=thread&id=4455

Life was hard in the coal and iron fields , be that the Forest, Notts, Yorks, Staffs, Rhondda etc

I'm sure that a combination of Cart, Walking, Train, Boat would have been used to move North. I suspect the main incentive was a promise of work, eventually other friends or family may have gone ahead first.

As for those who moved across the Atlantic or Pacific - I have found evidence both in Census and newspares of Agents recruiting families and assisted passages.

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>