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Transatlantische Migration, Nordamerika nach Britannien und Irland, 1858 - 1870
42.695 Datensätze
Diese Sammlung umfasst Details über Einzelpersonen, welche zwischen 1858 und 1870 von Nordamerika nach Grossbritannien und Irland gereist sind. Informationen in diesen Aufzeichnungen können enthalten: Name, Alter, Abreisedatum und -ort, Durchreise und Ankunft, Beruf, Nationalität, Schiffsname, dessen Schiffsführer und mehr.
Historical Background
The political situation in Ireland during the second half of the nineteenth century was unstable, as evidenced by the increasing number of militant Irish nationalist groups. The Dublin Castle government lived in fear of a Fenian rising, and this threat came not only from within Ireland but from overseas - in particular America, where there was a high proportion of Irish immigrants, and support for the Fenian cause. At the same time, increasing numbers of Irish people were returning from North America to Britain and Ireland for a number of reasons, such as difficulty in finding employment in America, and increasing hostility towards Irish immigrants. The government were concerned that some of these returning migrants could be Fenians who were involved in planning an uprising. They believed that a potential uprising could be prevented if they were able to monitor who exactly was travelling from North America to Britain and Ireland.
The Passenger Act of 1852 (amended to The Passenger Act of 1855) introduced the regulation of the carriage of passengers by sea. Article 100 required passenger lists to be submitted to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whenever a vessel had arrived in the United Kingdom from a port outside Europe. The importance of this article was reiterated in 1858 when letters were sent to all ports in Britain and Ireland requiring them to submit passenger lists from vessels arriving from North America to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland immediately. Each port translated the letters into Port Orders, with the first passenger list to be sent to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland being that of the ‘Edinburgh' which arrived in Glasgow, Scotland on November 25th 1858. Over 800 of the passenger lists sent to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland have survived and are now housed in the National Archives of Ireland.
In 1867 there was a failed attempt at a Fenian insurrection in Ireland, and the threat was soon considered over. By 1870, the provision of reports of the names of passengers from America was no longer considered necessary, and the decision was made to discontinue them.
The passenger lists as a source
The 800 lists held by the National Archives of Ireland span the period from December 1858 to June 1870 and are the only surviving passenger lists held by this repository. They are a significant source because they represent the earliest and largest number of passenger lists that exist for vessels departing from North America to Great Britain and Ireland.
Statistics relating to those travelling from North America to Britain and Ireland
- More than 2/3 of passengers were male
- 12,662 passengers were married, of which 6,796 were male and 5,866 female
- 3,878 were children, of which 1,978 were male and 1,645 female. A further 814 passengers were classed as infants, 338 of these being male and 401 female
- 60% of passengers were Irish, Scottish or English – with these nationalities being fairly evenly represented, with the caveat that later reports focus only on people travelling to Glasgow and Southampton
- At least 50% of passengers were in steerage class (though this figure is likely to be higher as many records do not state which class a person travelled in)
- While a high proportion of passengers had trades (such as shoemakers, tailors, merchants or miners) the most frequently cited occupation was that of labourer.
- A requirement of the act was that passengers who were born and died at sea had to be included in the lists. The lists mention 34 passengers who died at sea and 8 infants who were born at sea.
Historical Background
The political situation in Ireland during the second half of the nineteenth century was unstable, as evidenced by the increasing number of militant Irish nationalist groups. The Dublin Castle government lived in fear of a Fenian rising, and this threat came not only from within Ireland but from overseas - in particular America, where there was a high proportion of Irish immigrants, and support for the Fenian cause. At the same time, increasing numbers of Irish people were returning from North America to Britain and Ireland for a number of reasons, such as difficulty in finding employment in America, and increasing hostility towards Irish immigrants. The government were concerned that some of these returning migrants could be Fenians who were involved in planning an uprising. They believed that a potential uprising could be prevented if they were able to monitor who exactly was travelling from North America to Britain and Ireland.
The Passenger Act of 1852 (amended to The Passenger Act of 1855) introduced the regulation of the carriage of passengers by sea. Article 100 required passenger lists to be submitted to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whenever a vessel had arrived in the United Kingdom from a port outside Europe. The importance of this article was reiterated in 1858 when letters were sent to all ports in Britain and Ireland requiring them to submit passenger lists from vessels arriving from North America to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland immediately. Each port translated the letters into Port Orders, with the first passenger list to be sent to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland being that of the ‘Edinburgh' which arrived in Glasgow, Scotland on November 25th 1858. Over 800 of the passenger lists sent to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland have survived and are now housed in the National Archives of Ireland.
In 1867 there was a failed attempt at a Fenian insurrection in Ireland, and the threat was soon considered over. By 1870, the provision of reports of the names of passengers from America was no longer considered necessary, and the decision was made to discontinue them.
The passenger lists as a source
The 800 lists held by the National Archives of Ireland span the period from December 1858 to June 1870 and are the only surviving passenger lists held by this repository. They are a significant source because they represent the earliest and largest number of passenger lists that exist for vessels departing from North America to Great Britain and Ireland.
Statistics relating to those travelling from North America to Britain and Ireland
- More than 2/3 of passengers were male
- 12,662 passengers were married, of which 6,796 were male and 5,866 female
- 3,878 were children, of which 1,978 were male and 1,645 female. A further 814 passengers were classed as infants, 338 of these being male and 401 female
- 60% of passengers were Irish, Scottish or English – with these nationalities being fairly evenly represented, with the caveat that later reports focus only on people travelling to Glasgow and Southampton
- At least 50% of passengers were in steerage class (though this figure is likely to be higher as many records do not state which class a person travelled in)
- While a high proportion of passengers had trades (such as shoemakers, tailors, merchants or miners) the most frequently cited occupation was that of labourer.
- A requirement of the act was that passengers who were born and died at sea had to be included in the lists. The lists mention 34 passengers who died at sea and 8 infants who were born at sea.
