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The
1881 Census in the locality of Lochwinnoch
By 1881 the
number of Orrs in the Parish
of Lochwinnoch had declined dramatically with just 47
names ( including wives and one grandchild). What is
striking is the number of men who remain unmarried, some
of mature years; and the numbers of `retired`. The lack of
marriages would have contributed to the further reduction
of numbers in later years, but it wasn`t the only reason.
By the mid to late nineteenth century the industrial
revolution had moved on apace and mills of all kinds
(Lochwinnoch had flax and linen manufactures) were
no longer constrained to locations for water power for
driving the looms, or for associated activities such as
bleaching. Steam driven power looms had taken over, the
growing chemical industry had produced powdered bleach
(lime), and the centres of work for textile related trades
had progressed from Paisley and Lanarkshire. The latter
had become the industrial centre and here are found the
greatest concentration of Orrs in the Census.
The
sad truth was that either you went to where the work was;
struggled in another occupation; retired if you could
afford it, or, became a dependent (annuitant ) of a son or
daughter. The infrastructure of the Parish changed and
with it came a return to agrarian occupations.
The Orrs generally seemed to go where the work was to be
found which is illustrated in the national picture - there
there is a presence in all but a handful of counties in
England, Scotland and Wales. Where
we were located in the 1881 Census
. The greater number of Orrs outside Scotland are in
Lancashire with a quite high proportion of small farmers,
but inevitably there is a wide spread of occupations with
hands turned to engineering, textiles and iron working.
A similar
pattern emerges in the nearby parishes of Kilbarchan,
Beith and Kilbirnie where there had long been Orrs,
many of them from Lochwinnoch. Here too, the numbers
unmarried are high with daughters remaining at home with
elderly parents. Quite a number are hanging on to jobs in
the mills but one wonders for how long.
Orrs residing in Beith
Orrs residing in
Kilbarchan
Orrs residing in Kilbirnie
Dumfries
and Galloway Region
The deep
south west of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Wigtown where it
is likely that we originate (see
Land of Urr ) was another area of dwindling numbers,
where residual family groups are mainly associated with
agriculture. At least the distillery in Langholm was still
going.
Orrs in Dumfries & Kirkcudbright
1881
Orrs in Wigtown 1881 |
