Using an technique to estimate births and out migration for each English & Welsh county, the author tests various generally accepted "truths" about the migration from England & Wales of some 10 million people between 1861 and 1900. Did most emigrants come from rural areas which were left behind during the rapid industrialization of the period?
Did the varying cycles of economic growth on either side of the "Atlantic economy" clearly influence emigration in the directions expected?
Did the Welsh have a distinct emigration pattern which differed from English emigrants?
Was the composition of the emigrants primarily young unmarrieds or families emigrating together?
Did the emigrants leave England and Wales for good or was there significant return migration?
The author's conclusions are significant in changing our understanding of this large migration of people. His conclusions on return migration, rural/urban origins of emigrants, information flows about conditions in the destination countries, and Welsh and West Country emigration patterns are extremely interesting.
This is an academic population study and reading it can be a heavy slog at times. For those not inclined to wade through mathematical models of population and emigration, the author has provided convenient summaries for each chapter and an very useful concluding chapter.
A great way to better understand why our English and Welsh ancestors "jumped the puddle" and went overseas between 1861 and 1900.
