Heading for a new world

First sight of New York for late 19th century immigrants.

The number of immigrants from Lincolnshire to the colonies during the 19th century was extremely high as hundreds of people were attracted by the prospect of a new life in another land.

In the first fifty years of the century alone, many departed from Bourne and the surrounding villages and in February 1844, three families from Dowsby sailed for New South Wales together with a father, mother and seven children from the adjoining parish of Aslackby, while in June 1848, 21 people from Morton left for North America, among them 17 with the name Taylor including father, mother, sons and daughters.

Sail rather than steam carried passengers over the seas and despite the long voyages, Australia was a popular destination although most people favoured North America. Shipping lines advertised berths in the local newspapers with boats of 1,000 to 1,500 tons sailing regularly from Liverpool and in 1845 one company offered passage to New York in 29-31 days and New Orleans in 30 days “with the most superior accommodation for passengers”.

Other packet ships left regularly for Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston, and one company even had a smaller sailing ship of 200 tons leaving from Wisbech which reduced the usual journey time by road to Liverpool for passengers from the Bourne area.

One typical newspaper advertisement from 1845 circulating in the Bourne area said: “Emigrants in the country can engage passage by letter stating the port to which they intend to go, when the price of passage and all other particulars will be stated, so that they need not be in Liverpool until the day before the ship is to sail, and they will thereby avoid detention and other expenses, besides securing a cheaper passage, and having the best berths allotted to them previous to their arrival. For further particulars apply (post-paid and including a postage stamp for a reply) to James Beckett and Son, North End Prince’s Dock, Liverpool.”

Special stagecoaches left central points around the country to take immigrants to the dockside at their port of departure and the journey and the voyage was made so appealing that hundreds flocked to go, so many in fact that questions were raised in Parliament about the loss of valuable workers from this country.

In June 1844, Sir John Trollope, the M P for Lincolnshire, voiced the fears of many landowners when he spoke during a debate in the House of Commons. “Not less than 100 families comprising some of the cleverest artisans and most skilful farmers in Lincolnshire emigrated from one spot in the county”, he said, “and an affecting and pitiful sight it was to see these men abandoning their homes to seek new habitations on the other side of the Atlantic. It is a serious loss to the mother country when the best and most industrious of her citizens leave our shores and settled in foreign climes.”

But the flow of immigrants had become unstoppable and week after week more men, often with their girlfriends, wives and families, chose to take the risk. Many found wealth and happiness while others discovered that life in the new world could be just as harsh as it was at home.