Migration & Empire, 1830-1939

1. Migration & Empire, 1830-1939 Scottish emigration – moving support and coercion

2. Emigration - moving support and coercion • In today’s class I am learning to: • Identify the different groups that played a role in people emigrating • Describe the type of support that each group provided

3. Emigration - moving support and coercion Many Scots who emigrated were very poor and needed help to afford the journey – and some who travelled were not given any choice.

4. Emigration - moving support and coercion Recruiting agents

5. Emigration - moving support and coercion Colonial governments in places such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand needed to attract people to their countries. This was to ensure that they had enough workers, and also people with the required skills to help the countries make money.

6. Emigration - moving support and coercion Recruiting agents were hired by colonial governments. Their job was to travel all across Scotland, visiting towns, cities and villages and encouraging people to give up their Scottish lives and instead seek a new and better life overseas.

7. Emigration - moving support and coercion These agents gave public talks and posted adverts in newspapers. They could give different types of help to move, including paying for travel, help finding accommodation abroad or even the offer of cheap or free land.

8. Emigration - moving support and coercion British government

9. Emigration - moving support and coercion The British government also backed emigration. More overseas workers meant Empire countries would be richer. Also with economic problems after World War One, emigration meant less people would live in poverty at home.

10. Emigration - moving support and coercion Britain’s government provided different types of help, including paying for land for those that emigrated, or giving them tickets to travel. The government also provided training courses to give people the skills they needed to move.

11. Emigration - moving support and coercion In 1922 the British government launched the Empire Settlement Act. This provided support to move – such as loans and land – and was especially aimed at agricultural workers moving to rural areas in places like Canada and Australia.

12. Emigration - moving support and coercion Help from charities

13. Emigration - moving support and coercion There were various charities which played a role in encouraging emigration, amongst children and adults. Highland landlords funded the Highland and Island Emigration Society, which paid for travel for Highland farmers and their families.

14. Emigration - moving support and coercion Many children – especially orphans – lived in care homes and faced the prospect of poor lives. Charities run by people like William Quarrier and Thomas Barnardo sent them to places like Canada where they would be given work.

15. Emigration - moving support and coercion Missionary societies

16. Emigration - moving support and coercion Many Scots were very religious in the 1800s and 1900s – and many wanted to travel to spread the word of God. Missionary societies were set up to raise the funds to allow these missionaries to travel to different parts of the world.

17. Emigration - moving support and coercion Money raised by the societies was used to give training to the missionaries, also pay for their travel. Once they were abroad, missionaries would preach to local people and also set up churches (such as Presbyterian ones).

18. Emigration - moving support and coercion Highland landowners

19. Emigration - moving support and coercion During the 1800s many Highland landlords wanted crofters off their land, to replace them with sheep and other animals. Some landlords persuaded their tenants to move by offering to fund the cost of their travel, elsewhere in Scotland or overseas.

20. Emigration - moving support and coercion Other landlords helped fund emigration societies, that also tried to influence the crofters to move. In extreme cases landlords would evict people from their homes (including burning them down), forcing the crofters to move elsewhere.

21. Emigration - moving support and coercion Punishment: prisoners

22. Emigration - moving support and coercion Until 1867, Australia was used as a penal colony (prison island) by Britain. People who had committed a variety of crimes – often as minor as stealing bread – might be given the punishment of transportation (being sent to prison in Australia).

23. Emigration - moving support and coercion Transportees were not supposed to return home, and many could not afford the journey anyway. At the end of their sentence they were released and would work and live in Australia, sometimes being joined by their family.