Protestation Returns for Cumberland - Eskdale Ward

I decided that I was not going to get the rest of the Eskdale Ward parishes proofread for the Protestation Returns for Cumberland so I have sent my raw file out to all the Routledge researchers with whom I am in correspondence warning them the transcription is a first go except for Bewcastle and Lanercost. I wanted to transcribe the entire Ward just to see where the Routledges, Tweddles and Robsons were in 1641-42. I was satisfied to find that the Routledges were almost entirely at Bewcastle. Twenty five Routledge males at Bewcastle, one Routledge at Walton, four Routledge at Lanercost (one at Askerton quarter and three at Burdoswell quarter), and two Routledge at Stapleton. There are 52 Routledge males listed on the 1604  Land Survey of Bewcastle. In the 1630 Indenture there are only 17 Routledge males. Where have they disappeared? Mind you that is 52 sons in 1604 with 22 fathers and the 1630 Indenture may only be the heads of families which is reasonably around 20 still. But by 1641 only 36 Routledge males  over the age of 18 left in the Eskdale Ward is somewhat amazing.

There are seven of us actively involved in researching the Routledge family around the world. I have acquired quite a bit of information on the family which I have organized into various charts but moving back into the 1600s is very very difficult as the parish records were all destroyed in the raid of the 1660s. Manor records would be the other method of putting the family together and I have left that to my cousin Thomas Routledge in England. He and I are related through the Routledge family of Kirkbeckstown but he also appears to have Oakshaw Routledge. Most of mine are Oakshaw Routledge with a few other Routledge families. I simply have so many Routledge lines that I wonder if they all collapse eventually back to one Routledge male in the 1400s or 1500s. Time will tell perhaps and it is most intriguing.

I must get back to the Upper Clatford Parish Registers tomorrow as I would like to finish them this week. Then I can start the Abbotts Ann Parish Registers which I am finding a rather intriguing idea.