Britain’s emigration rate remains one of the highest in the world. This episode of the Departure series offers useful information on current estimated emigration rates and popular destinations for British migrants. It notes the reasons that former colonies often remain popular destinations and explores the ways in which migration from Britain has changed over time, with a distinction made between colonialism-linked movement in the past and migration in the present day. Useful themes are drawn out, including the social and economic push and pull factors, as well as the impact that Brexit may have on the reasons for migration from Britain in the future. The idea that, because of Brexit, subsequent opportunities for migrants from Britain may become more limited is also covered.

This episode offers an interesting approach to the topic of emigration with a focus on what happened to those who stayed behind in Britain, which can often be overlooked by textbooks. Focusing on nineteenth-century Cornwall, it explains the impact of emigration on those ‘left behind’, providing remarkable examples of how women and their communities survived both socially and economically in Cornwall, often enduring great hardship. It includes interesting original sources, including newspaper articles and rare personal letters, which give an insight into the full story of migration. More detailed information on this particular theme can be found in the book by Dr Lesley Trotter author of The Married Widows of Cornwall: see Further materials.

This engaging book gives a comprehensive summary of the many motivations for early emigration from England to America in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Personal stories are used to explore the context for migration and some of the motivations that are often less recognised, including the role of the fishing industry, the impact of the English Civil War and the roles played by indentured servants. 

This website forms a very useful reference point for students who are interested in carrying out their own research on the topic of emigration. It includes how to access records at the national archives in the UK, and archives abroad, along with links to passenger lists, useful websites and further reading.

Visual insights into what emigrating from Britain to America looked like and the businesses built around it.