Approximately one third of all Tippers originate from two family groupings straddling the border of Staffordshire and Derbyshire: firstly, my own immediate family and neighbours, about 1,900 of us, in the villages and towns along the valley of the River Dove, from the southern Peak District, down through Ashbourne, Uttoxeter, Hanbury, Scropton, Hollington,Tutbury and beyond, into Burton and Derby; and secondly an adjoining large and cohesive clan centred on Cheadle, with offshoots across the Potteries and to Stafford and Leek. Recent research has indicated that these two groupings probably derive from a common source in the 1600's.

 

A further 1,500 can trace their origins to the string of villages along the valley of the River Rother and the South Downs of Sussex, centred on Midhurst. This family group is the source of many of the Tippers who appear in the 19th century in Australia, willingly or otherwise.

There is a third major grouping in Worcestershire, and other important early concentrations are found in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Kent. There would seem to be no Tippers native to the North of England, and those that do appear in Lancashire, Yorkshire, the North-East and Cumbria are mainly 19th century immigrants from the Midlands seeking employment opportunities in the mills, mines and foundries. There is a consistent if disparate presence in London through the ages, many originating from Sussex, and a large influx into Birmingham and the Black Country in the 1800's principally from Worcestershire. A separate, long-standing Tipper clan exists in Ireland, with a number leaving over the years for Manchester/Liverpool and the USA.

Several emigrant families have successfully established themselves in Australasia and North America, but the majority remain in our English homeland.