History surrounding the birth and growth of Gyoury

Although we do not know where Michael Gyoury was born we know he settled & started his new family in London, England. We can discover a wealth of information about the surrounding world at that time; this webpage is a small scratch at the surface of London & British history, this is only an attempt to show some surrounding facts whilst remain interesting and relevant. Links are provided for further information.

To get a clearer picture lets start by going right back to the 17th Century. Population of London had grown from about 200,000 people in 1600 AD to around 350,000 by mid-century. The plague of London claimed many lives while the great fire of London in 1666 destroyed around 80% of the City which 'helped' to completely change the face of London forever. While many left the City due to the lack of housing, London slowly began to rebuild and enter into the 18th Century.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain was formed in 1707 when Scottish and British Parliament joined with the 'Act of Union'. King George the First reigned 1714 to 1727 which began the Georgian period in history (4 King Georges). During this time London began expanding beyond traditional borders, with new bridges over the Thames creating growth in South London, while Mayfair extended to the west as a place for the rich and the docks and Port of London expanded in the East. George the Third acquired Buckingham Palace and London was to rapidly become the true centre of the growing British Empire.

The 18th century world was all about international trade, world power, empires, growth and domination, so not much different from today then?  Well slightly different because Britain did actually have a hugely powerful empire then. London had transformed from burnt ruins into a global political, financial and trading capital, and its riches were a worldwide attraction. Immigrants and foreigners were very important in shaping the nation, yet no-one could have predicted the floods of people that soon came to settle.

During the last quarter of the 18th Century England was at war with America and with France. International trade financed wars, so was more important than ever before. The seas were full of boats, Galleons and Frigates, and it is known that British Armies and the Navy were not just made up of English born citizens. At this point we'll bring in Michael Győrỳ, who was soon to be born. Maybe Michael's father was fighting for the British, maybe a sailor, maybe he was just a traveller or trader, maybe even connected with international trade or simply born here himself? But its very possible that Michaels parents never visited England and that Michael lived his younger life elsewhere. Some possible clues may indicate this, and it is probably most likely that Michael moved to London alone, without family.

There is no doubt that London was the place where many wanted to settle and the boom had already begun. By 1790 there was a solid political infrastructure and the capital city was an ideal base with so much to offer, especially as the worlds greatest manufacturing centre, worlds greatest port and a centre for finance and industry. The Bank of England produced its very first English Pound Note in 1797 and by 1800 London's population had extensively grown, making it the largest city in the world.

The population had trebled over the previous 100 years (1700~1800) to reach almost 1 million by 1801. Leaving the 18th century behind really was the beginning of major change, with the population more than doubling again by mid-century to 2.3 million, and then reaching more than 6 million by the end of this century 1800-1899. 

The largest city in the world soon went from ~1million in 1801 to ~7million in 1901 and shows London was a massively popular place, that obviously had lots to offer. Industrialisation, invention and progression was like no other time in the worlds history.

So London at the start of this new century seemed perhaps an ideal place for everyone to live? Well the fast pace of growth brought change that was uncontrollable with such little preparation. The well known famous fogs or 'smog', were from a massively polluting coal fired world which filled 19th century air. The sewers and night-soil men grew increasingly inadequate to the task of removing human faeces produced every day. The roads contained more and more horse & cart traffic each day with trails and layers of manure left behind. Even the rain didn't help to keep London clean, it just brought soot-filled dirty water which would create mud and sludge in the roads. Personal cleanliness and the washing of clothes was not something that was done unless you were among the higher classes. Even the bodies of the dead were to become a constant problem for Londoners, with churches unable to cope. For any outsider London may have seemed an attractive place to go to seek employment and success, but when you got to the City the stink would be unbelievable.

Born here or not, Michael did choose to settle and live in London and that's why all this history is relevant. As a single man in his twenties Michael was living and working as a servant in the home of Major Joseph Marks, Thayer Street St Marylebone. The location is just behind Manchester Square, a new development which had been created during Michaels early lifetime. Certainly not the worst part of London to live, on the outskirts of old London, close to the edge of Regents Park. Michaels salary is documented as 5 pounds per month, which is a decent salary for the time. Sarah also may have lived in the St Marylebone area, so possibly where they met and courted. Their marriage in 1807 was in the Church of St Marylebone, just a few streets away between Regents Park and Manchester Square.

Michael and Sarah moved to the quiet suburb called St Pancras, not too far away from St.Marylebone but a cheaper area to live just outside of the City, with an offering of newly built houses that were small and had cheap rent. The area of Somers Town was situated next to Euston Square, just south of St Pancras Church which was one of the oldest churches in England, and still is. This is the area where the first documented evidence of the name Gyoury originates. It's also where the Gyoury family seems to be based for many years, with the next generation growing, marrying and having address's within the small area of Somers Town, St Pancras.

Interestingly, 1808~1809 saw the inventor Richard Trevithick demonstrate his Steam Locomotion in Euston Square, right next to Somers Town. You could take a ride in the carriage pulled by steam at a cost of 1 shilling, which made this the very first fare paying passenger railway in the world. Maybe Michael and Sarah would have enjoyed the demonstration first-hand, but they would not have realised just how much impact steam power would have in their lifetimes, let alone on the future of London.

Growth continued, 1815 saw Napoleon defeated at waterloo while London continued expanding, new roads, new housing, more sewage, more industry & trade, but also more smog, immigrants, poverty and increasing crime. In 1817 a new bridge over the Thames opened, located between London Bridge and Westminster Bridge. This was named Waterloo Bridge in memory of the recent British victory, and provided a much needed link between fast developing areas. Locally to Somers Town, 1822 saw the opening of St Pancras New Church. Its total cost was £89,296 which made it the most expensive Church in London since the rebuilding of St Pauls Cathedral.  Plans for a new London Bridge were accepted in 1824 and the first granite stone laid in 1825, finally opening in 1831. For quite some time Londoners would have been able to see both London bridges spanning the Thames and no doubt early Gyoury's were privileged with that extremely rare view. The 1820's also brought us the creation of a Metropolitan Police Force based at what is now Scotland Yard, while King George IV also began the transformation of Buckingham House into a Royal Palace, now known as Buckingham Palace. Steam engines were beginning to be successfully used from 1825 and in 1831 the scheme for a Euston to Birmingham railway was made public.

The palace of Westminster was damaged with fire in 1834 its re-building began to create the Houses of Parliament. Trafalgar Square was created as a memorial to Lord Nelson and the city swallowed the suburb areas as it pushed its borders further. The Georgian period of English history that Michael and Sarah were born into was now to evolve into the Victorian period. Queen Victoria came to power in 1837, but by 1840 Michael and Sarah, the founders of the name, had past away. 1837 also brought the start of official records for all Births, Deaths and Marriages within Britain.

The next generation of Gyoury's were expanding the tree and continued in booming London, with many still living in the same area of Somers Town. By 1841 only 60% of people living in London had been born there, but Somers Town certainly had a very high percentage of immigrants, it had become a place for the poor and a place for foreigners.