Have you stayed put?

My background is anything but settled. Two of my grand parents were Irish immigrants, the other two the children of immigration from other counties, north of London to the city. One strand were mainly in the army, so travelled the world and Britain, although in retirement they congregated between London and the south coast.

At 21, I worked out that I had lived in 6 countries and 5 regions of Britain. I now live in Oxfordshire.

DH on the other hand can trace both sides of his family in parish records to the 16th century as living in the same small town and immediate environs he was born in.

jusnoneed, I’ve noticed the multiple households with same surname too. Not to mention the remarkable persistence of forenames within families, even given a relatively small pool of names, to the extent that some infants are christened with the name of a deceased sibling. My middle name was my grandmother’s, but I hadn’t realised how very many Ellens had preceded her. More generally it does look as if more folk than I’d thought still don’t stray far.

I too transcribe for FreeCen (and FreeReg) and have often thought the same as you, lots marrying people from same place or very nearby town/village. Often the same surname turning up in multiple families.
I was born in Somerset, lived a few different places in the county and ended up in Dorset so not a great distance really. All my paternal family (that I have found so far) were Somerset. My maternal family moved around more and some hailed from Ireland.

My family tree illustrates perfectly the population movement from agriculture jobs in the countryside to clerical jobs in the London suburbs in the nineteenth century. I moved away to go to university, never went back to the south-east and now live in France. However, my DD is bringing up her family ten miles from where I grew up and in the town that her paternal great-grandparents left in the 1900s.

Born, brought up and still live in the same small Kent town.
DH was born in north London, when we got engaged we talked about living in London. I'm so glad we didn't but would happily live elsewhere in the country.

My mum's family/ancestors were from Workington Cumbria and she was born just across the sea on the IOM so they weren't far from home.

I only live about 12 miles from where I was born, but in a different county.

I was born a northerner but have lived in the south for over 30 years. I’d never go back to live there as all my close family live here in the south. Moved about quite a lot in the past 40+ years but this is home now.

Lived in London all my life, now living 5miles from where I was born.

I live in Northumberland, I was born 11 miles away just over the county border in Cumberland (Cumbria as it is now). The man I married was born in the same hospital as me 8 months earlier. He lived in a small village 6 miles from where I grew up but we didn't meet until we were adults. His mother and my grandfather had ancestors in common!
It's strange how life turns out.

I did not stay put but looking into my mother's side of the family nobody strayed far from our county or married someone from outwith the county. I feel it must be very different for anyone who lives in the same town all their lives . I have no connection now with anyone I went to school with despite moving back to my roots ( almost ).