24 February 2010

Ancestry adds England, Alien Arrivals, 1810-1811, 1826-1869

Ancestry.co.uk have added a data collection containing lists of aliens (non-British citizens) arriving in England between 1810 and 1869.

"The records come from the following National Archives collection series. These records were primarily created as a result of various acts passed by parliament to regulate immigrants and other incoming individuals.

  • FO 83/21-22: Lists of aliens arriving at English ports, August 1810-May 1811; 2 volumes of original lists created under an act passed in 1793 “for establishing regulations respecting Aliens arriving at this Kingdom, or resident therein, in certain cases”
  • HO 2: Certificates of alien arrivals, 1836-1852; 236 volumes of original certificates arranged by port of arrival
  • HO 3: Returns of alien passengers, July 1836-December 1869 (with a gap from January 1861 to December 1866); returns made of alien passengers on ships arriving at British ports as required by the Aliens Act, beginning in 1836; formerly known as Lists of Immigrants; also includes some papers on the drafting of the Act, its administration, and proposals for its revision
  • CUST 102/393-396 Accounts of aliens arriving at London (July-November 1826) and Gravesend (October 1826-August 1837); arranged by certificate of arrival number

The exact information recorded in each collection varies, but generally the following type of information is listed:

  • Name of alien
  • Port of arrival
  • Date of arrival
  • Ship
  • Country of origin, nativity, and/or nationality
  • Age
  • Profession
  • Certificate number"
London appears to be the most common port of arrival. Other ports I found are: Dover, Folkestone, Glasgow, Grimsby, Harwich, Hull, Kings Lynn, Leith, Newhaven, Southampton, Yarmouth. Some people are shown as in transit, likely to North America. Hull was a popular transit port for people who would travel overland for their trans-Atlantic passage from Liverpool.

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