Divergent Paths : Family Histories of Irish Emigrants in Britain, 1820–1920

This book is unique in adopting a family history approach to Irish immigrants in nineteenth century Britain. It shows that the family was central to the migrants' lives and identities. The techniques of family and digital history are used for the first time to reveal the paths followed by a representative body of Irish immigrant families, using the town of Stafford in the West Midlands as a case study. The book contains vital evidence about the lives of ordinary families. In the long term many intermarried with the local population, but others moved away and some simply died out. The book investigates what forces determined the paths they followed and why their ultimate fates were so varied. A fascinating picture is revealed of family life and gender relations in nineteenth-century England which will appeal to scholars of Irish history, social history, genealogy and the history of the family. This book is unique in adopting a family history approach to Irish immigrants in nineteenth-century Britain. Historians of the Irish in Britain have almost totally ignored the family dimension, but this study shows that the family was central to Irish peoples' lives and experiences. It was the major factor influencing the life choices and identities of the migrants and their descendants. The book documents for the first time a representative sample of Irish immigrant families and uses the techniques of family and digital history to explore their long-term fate. To do this it examines the Irish in Stafford in the West Midlands, a town that was a microcosm of the broader Irish experience in England. Central to the book is a unique body of evidence about the lives of ordinary families. They were united by their Irish origins and by living in the same town, but there the similarity ended. In the long term they diverged in different directions. Many families integrated into the local population, but others ultimately moved away whilst some simply died out. The case studies explore the reasons why the fate of these families proved to be so varied. The book reveals a fascinating picture of family life and gender relations in nineteenth-century England. It will appeal to scholars of Irish history but also to people interested in social history, genealogy and the history of the family. It also offers valuable historical parallels to the lives of contemporary immigrant families in Britain. Book jacket. This Title Documents For The First Time A Representative Sample Of Irish Immigrant Families And Uses The Techniques Of Family And Digital History To Explore Their Long-term Fate. Irish Emigrants And Family History: A New Approach -- The Context: Irish Emigration And Stafford -- Stafford's Irish Families: The Overall Picture -- Pathfinders: Labouring Families Before The Famine -- Refugees From The Famine -- Labouring Families In The Famine's Aftermath, 1852 Onwards -- Lace Curtain Irish? The Families Of Craft, Clerical And Service Workers -- Old Soldiers And Their Families -- The Irish In The Shoe Trade -- The Forgotten Irish: Entrepreneurs And Professionals -- Divergent Paths: The Conclusions To Be Drawn. John Herson. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 315-331) And Index.