About The Vayro Ancestry
Please sign in to see more. It was in the early 1980's that I first took an interest in my ancestors and after contacting close family relatives I discovered numerous details of my Grandfather's eight siblings. Then in an old tin box containing souvenirs there were two Victorian Funeral Invitation Cards that turned out to be for my Great Grandfather James (G2 1853 - 1893) and Great, Great Grandfather William (G3 1825 - 1907).
The remembrance cards pinpointed places and dates that led me to search the archives for North Yorkshire and East Witton in particular, where my ancestors had lived and worked as tenant farmers, on the Jervaulx Estates in Lower Wensleydale. In the nearby village of Ellingstring several generations had lived at Moorcote, Tranmire and Angram Cote Farms between 1800 and 1960.
This meant that many of the Births, Banns, Deaths and Marriages for early Vayro ancestors were found in the East Witton Parish Registers for the Church of St John the Evangelist from 1780 onwards. A search of other local village Parish Records proved that even earlier generations were living in Middleham, Healey, and Coverham to the west, as well as Masham, and Clifton to the east.
A casual comment made by my paternal Grandfather Thomas suggested that we originally came over with the Spanish Armada, whereas I think that Italy is a more likely alternative. However the evidence proves that my own ancestors came from Uredale or Yoredale and Coverdale and that the VAYRO and VARO ancestors have intermingled with families such as POUNDER, BERRY, LYE, WALKER, HARDCASTLE and HORNER from 1650 onwards.
In over twenty years I have never found anyone rich or famous, but if large headstones are an indicator of wealth in 19 th Century Britain then some of those who lie in East Witton, and Masham Churchyards may well have been more than simple farm hinds.
I was born in Willington, a mining village in County Durham, where both my father and grandfather worked at Brancepeth Colliery.
Influenced by Mr George Turner, my woodwork teacher at Crook Alderman Cape School, I followed a five year course in Furniture Design, but was never tempted to go into industry. Instead I spent forty years in teaching, holding various appointments in Primary and Secondary Schools, and Hartlepool Art College before
finally retiring from Durham University School of Education, as Lecturer in Art and Design Technology on Undergraduate and Post Graduate courses.
When I first started my research into Family Ancestry I was not aware that Genealogy was one of the fastest growing hobbies or pastimes, and initially I relied on close friends and relatives, but over the years have made many contacts with individuals who have shared the same interests, both in the origins of our surname Vayro/Varo and also who have tried to put together the evidence leading backwards in time, through the generations. These really are too numerous to mention, but in particular, Marjorie Powner, Barbara Massam, Stanley Varo and Steve Walker in the U K, Ian Ross Vayro in Australia, Sophie Vayro in Canada, and several members of the Dales Family History Society E- mail group. All have given their help and assistance freely and as well as many having been proved to be long-lost relatives they have also become close friends through a common interest in finding out more about our family history.
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