Unknown Occupation

[ozgirl]

In a 1745 baptism record the parents are described as "Sojourners in Bigging". I cannot find this occupation in any site. Has anyone got any idea?

I assume it's not begging!

[Chrissie Smiff]

I think perhaps it does Linda, it suggests they move around for some reason.

[JudithM]

A sojourner is someone who is temporarily staying in a place so I read this to mean they were temporary residents of a place called Bigging

[Lilly the flower]

I don't know if this helps but in Scotland , North England, Bigging means, a building, especially one's home, a building ,cottage,cluster of houses,a hamlet...not sure if I am on the right trail or not, there doesn't seem to be a place actually called Bigging......

Lilly;)

[GallowayLass]

I agree with Judith. Sojourner can also mean holidaymaker. Where did the baptism take place? Was it the type of place where someone might take a property "for the season".

[GallowayLass]

I have just spotted that in biblical terms, in Hebrew, the word means a foreigner/ immigrant/ resident alien/ stranger.

The closest I can get for place names are Biggin Hill, Bromley, London and Biggings on mainland Shetland.

[GallowayLass]

There are also two possibles in Derbyshire. Biggin (formerly Hartington Nether Quarter) Biggin by Wirksworth. There's also one in the parish of Church Fenton, Yorkshire. Also Biggin in the parish of Clifton upon Dunsmore, Warwickshire.

There could be more. Do any of these fit your parish register entry?

[ozgirl]

You may have cracked it GallowayLass - the baptism was in Hartington St Giles in Derbyshire - well one was, the same child was also baptised in Hope in Derbyshire on the same day. I wonder if maybe they came from Hope then?

[Lilly the flower]

I doubt if Biggin Hill has anything to do with it ( sorry Galloway lass;). As Biggin hill has only been know by that name for about the last 90 years, before that it was in the Parish of Cudham, with the Manor House of Aperfield, all agricultural with farms scattered across the land, I think like Galloway lass it is more Scottish , especially being 1745, it's appears to have a more Scottish definition.

Lilly. Ps there you go I said North England...lol.

[Olde Crone Holden]

In the 1700s "sojourner" was the term used to describe someone passing through the parish who did not have right of settlement there and who were not expected to stay for long, less than a year legally.

Mind you, in this particular case they may have had high hopes, lol, as the baptism of the child gave that child settlement rights in the parish. I have one family in my tree who routinely have all their children baptised in every parish they go to. The removal and settlement orders for this family provide months of reading!

OC

[ozgirl]

I see there has been a thread on RootsChat re Hartington and Hope - the consensus is that it was a transcription error which was applied to the whole batch - they are not on the Hope registers.