Frances,

Thanks so much for your response. It seems to make sense. John was a slater/plasterer and his father-in-law, John GORLEY was a waller/stonemason from Cockermouth. I've often wondered why the two families would have been in the IOM during this time frame. By the nature of their jobs I guess it was to participate in the building works.

Would anyone happen to know whether recruitment for these jobs were advertised and contracted out in the cities and towns of England, or would it have been by word of mouth and the families setting off in the hope of securing work with no guarantee of employment? The GORLEYs appear in census returns as paupers, so finding the fare for a crossing would have been a tall order, I guess, unless there was the certainty of work at the other end.

Many thanks again,

Gabrielle,
Devon, UK