In this study Mr Baines has devised a method of estimating the county of birth of all permanent emigrants from England and Wales in the last four decades of the nineteenth century - some 2.3 million people. He has related the rate and timing of migration to the social and economic characteristics of the counties, which has provided answers to many of the outstanding questions in the history of English emigration, including, for example, the idea of an 'Atlantic Economy' and the extent to which Welsh migration was distinct from or integrated into the English pattern. Briefly, the book concludes that the emigrants did not, in the main, come from 'peripheral' parts of the country. Probably one half of the emigrants had known no environment other than a large town. It is likely that English and Welsh emigrants were more likely to return than emigrants from any European country. Most of the emigrants seem to have been well-informed about the costs and benefits of moving - most probably from the experience of previous emigrants. English emigration could not therefore have been a simple flight from poverty, but was rather based on a well considered decision to leave home, although not necessarily for ever.
Loading metrics...
* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.
Usage data cannot currently be displayed.
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.
Accessibility compliance for the PDF of this book is currently unknown and may be updated in the future.