The Mabley name may have been imported from France, where the surname is commonly found as Mably or Mabille. The Mably family
of Cornwall, for instance, believe themselves to be descended from a single shipwrecked French sailor who married into the
local community. Cornwall Towns and Villages
The end of the Napoleonic Wars released an enormous number of men onto the streets looking for work, just at the time
when employment opportunities were stretched very thinly. Enclosure and mechanization of cottage industries such as
weaving, meant more people were out of work and struggling to feed their families.
The copper and tin mines in the Cornwall were becoming depleted and families were moving en masse to other areas to find
work. Some moved to the north of England, others took their chance overseas. With the repeal of the 1825 Anti-emigration law,
the recognition of an escalating population, increased unemployment, and too few jobs due to the industrial revolution. A
potato famine and the high price of corn in the 1940's also forced people to migrate, with skilled well paying mining jobs
in the New World attracting families. From 1814 onwards almost 250,000 Cornish people migrated up to 1900.
© Copyright David Mapley