Although the people emigrating from Britain in the late 1700s and through the 1800s came from a wide cross-section of society, a significant number emigrated for economic reasons.  After the Napoleonic Wars, which Britain joined in 1803, the demand for men, cloth, iron and food fell with the drop in government contracts.  Industry and agriculture, which had thrived during the wars, fell into a depression and many were out of work.

Then there was a huge expansion of industrialised practices after the 1820s where many previously skilled jobs with high rewards were lost to mechanised processes overseen by cheaper, unskilled labourers. Even the countryside saw huge numbers becoming unemployed as farming practices also became mechanised. Added to this, between 1845 and 1851, large numbers of Irish people, starving after the failure of the potato crops, came across to Britain in the hope of finding work. 

By the early 1900s, up to 10 million people had emigrated with around 1/3rd choosing America as their favoured destination.

There were few laws regarding the construction of passenger ships in the 1800s.  Passengers were crammed into ships made of wood with fire being the major hazard.  Navigation was more of an art than a science and ice-bergs were the second biggest hazard on the crossing when spotting them at night or in poor visibility was particularly difficult.  Food often turned bad and water had to be replenished by whatever rainwater they could catch.  Iron ships brought into use in the mid 1800s could be larger, faster and possibly safer although the steam boilers in early ships were prone to exploding.  In 1823 alone, there were over 1000 deaths from exploding boilers.

Emigrating in those days was not for the faint-hearted.  They must have been a brave lot!