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Irish Seasonal Migration to Great Britain, 1800–38

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2016

Barbara M. Kerr
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Extract

It is seldom possible to date accurately the beginning or end of population movements. It is doubtful whether the migration of Irish harvesters to Great Britain was very extensive before the end of the eighteenth century. At the close of the century, however, conditions were such as to render the migration desirable to the English farmers, and a necessity to the Irish peasant. By 1827 so desperate was the situation of the latter that a witness could declare before a parliamentary committee on emigration, that ‘ every decrease in the number coming to England each year would add to the probability of starvation in Ireland ’. The year 1838 has been taken as the closing date of this study since it saw the introduction of the first remedial effort (the Irish poor law act).

Type
Articles
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 3 , Issue 12 , September 1943 , pp. 365 - 380
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1943

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References

page 365 note 1 Third report from the select committee on emigration from the United Kingdom, 1827, H.C. 550, p. 336 ; 1826-7, v. 558. This report will hereafter be cited as 3 Rep. emig., 1827.

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page 366 note 2 Ibid., p. 181.

page 366 note 3 Clapham, J. H., Economic history of modern England, i. 468-9.Google Scholar

page 367 note 1 Report on the state of the Irish poor in Great Britain, 1836, p. 126, H.C. 1836, xxxiv. 600. This report will hereafter be cited as Rep. Ir. poor, 1836.

page 367 note 2 Ibid., p. 166.

page 367 note 3 Estimation of population in 1785:—2,845,932. (H.C. 577, p. vii; 1824, xxii). Population 1841 :—8,175,124. Report of the commissioners appointed to take a census of Ireland for the year, 1841, p. viii; 1843, xxiv This report is hereafter cited as Census Ire. 1841

page 367 note 4 Report of the select committee on the state of the poor in Ireland, 1830, H.C. 667, p. 6 ; 1830, vii. 6.

page 368 note 1 Second report of the commissioners appointed to consider and recommend a general system of railways for Ireland, 1838, p. 79 ; 1837-8, xxxv. 553. This report will hereafter be cited as 2 Rep. railways, Ire., 1838.

page 368 note 2 Clapham, op. cit., i. 56.

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page 368 note 6 Report of the select committee on the state of the poor in Ireland, 1830, H.C. 667, pp. 7-8.

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page 369 note 3 Report from the assistant hand-loom weavers’ commissioners, pt. iii, H.C. 43, 595 ; 1840, xxiii. 439.

page 369 note 4 Ibid., p. 597.

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page 370 note 1 First report of evidence from the select committee on the state of the poor in Ireland, 1830, H.C. 589, p. 23.

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page 370 note 5 2 Rep. railways, Ire., 1838, app. B, p. 63.

page 370 note 6 Liverpool Mercury, 23 Feb. 1827, and 25 June 1824.

page 370 note 7 Census Ire., 1841, p. xxvii.

page 370 note 8 First report from his majesty's commissioners for inquiring into the condition of the poorer classes in Ireland, 1835, H.C. 369, p. 379 ; 1835, xxxii. 395. This report is hereafter cited as 1 Rep. poorer classes, Ire.

page 371 note 1 Ibid., p. 509.

page 371 note 2 Census Ire., 1841, p. xxvi.

page 371 note 3 1 Rep. poorer classes, Ire., p. 438.

page 371 note 4 Report from his majesty's commissioners for inquiring into the administration and practical operation of the poor laws (appendix E, vagrancy) 1834, H.C. 44, p. 62e; 1834, xxxviii. 288.

page 371 note 5 Report from the select committee on the laws relating to Irish and Scotch vagrants 1828, H.C. 513, p. 10 ; 1828, iv. 212.

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page 371 note 9 Ibid., p. 125, 1836.

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page 372 note 3 Census Ire., 1841, p. xxvi.

page 372 note 4 The Statistical Record and Journal of Useful Knowledge, Nov. 1837, p. 131.

page 372 note 5 2 Rep. railways, Ire., 1838, p. 90.

page 373 note 1 Census Ire., 1841, p xxvi.

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page 373 note 6 P.R.O., Home Office Papers, 44, packet 18, 26 July 1828.

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page 373 note 8 Report from the select committee on emigration from the United Kingdom, 1826, H.C. 404; p. 115 ; 1826, iv 115.

page 373 note 9 Rep. Ir. poor, 1836, p. 166.

page 374 note 1 Report from the select committee on emigration from the United Kingdom, 1826, H.C. 404, p. 137 ; 1826, iv. 137.

page 374 note 2 Report from the select committee on Irish vagrants, with the minutes of evidence taken, 1833, H.C. 394, p. 15 ; 1833, xvi. 337

page 374 note 3 Clapham, op. cit., i. 228.

page 374 note 4 P.R.O., Home Office Papers, 42, packet 68, 5 Aug. 1803.

page 374 note 5 Report from the select committee on the state of the poor in Ireland, 1830, H. C. 667

page 374 note 6 First report from the select committee on emigration, Scotland, together with the minutes of evidence, and appendix, 1841, H.C. 182, p. 36 ; 1841, vi. 40.

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page 376 note 4 Ibid., packet 25.

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page 376 note 6 Hansard, 3 series, v. 1259.

page 377 note 1 Report from the select committee on agriculture, with the minutes of evidence taken before them, and an appendix and index, 1833, H.C. 612, p. 204.

page 377 note 2 Rep. Ir. poor, 1836, p. xlvii.

page 377 note 3 Ibid., pp. 150-1

page 377 note 4 Report of the select committee on the state of the poor in Ireland, 1830, H.C. 667

page 377 note 5 Rep. Ir. poor, 1836, p. 368.

page 377 note 6 1 Rep. poorer classes Ire., p. 368.

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page 378 note 1 Report from the select committee on the laws relating to Irish and Scotch vagrants, 1828, H.C. 513, p. 10.

page 378 note 2 Ibid., pp. 15-16.

page 378 note 3 Report from the select committee on the existing laws relating to vagrants, 1821, H.C. 543, 47; 1821, iv. 167.

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page 379 note 1 Walsh, , Poor laws in Ireland (1830), p. 113.Google Scholar

page 379 note 2 Article on ‘ Reports of the select committee on emigration from the United Kingdom ’, in Quarterly Review, 1828, xxxvii, 561.

page 379 note 3 It was usual for a harvester's wife and family to remain in Ireland and beg in the ‘ more opulent counties ’ See I Rep. poor classes Ire., pp. 572-3.

page 379 note 4 1 Rep. poorer classes Ire., p. 357.

page 379 note 5 Report from the select committee on agriculture, with the minutes of evidence taken before them, and an appendix and index, 1833, H.C. 612, pp. 354-5.

page 379 note 6 3 Rep. Emig., 1827.

page 380 note 1 2 Rep. railways Ire., 1838.

page 380 note 2 Second report from the select committee on the state of disease, and the condition of the labouring poor in Ireland, 1819, H.C. 409, p. 105 ; 1819, viii.