1827-1851
The Emigration Trade in Nineteenth-Century Devon. The official figure for emigration from Bideford to the rest of Canada (Québec and Ontario) in the same period is 2,080, plus 16 to New Brunswick, 8 to Nova Scotia and for the U.S.A., 284. Even allowing for the fact that an unknown number of the passengers arriving at P.E.I. proceeded on to Québec and Ontario it is difficult to resist the conclusion that the official figures probably underestimate the numbers emigrating from Bideford to Prince Edward Island. It may well be that the official figures for the rest of Canada and the U.S.A. similarly underestimate the actual scale of emigration from North Devon. This was precisely the case made by Greenhill and Giffard in their ground-breaking work of 1967. Their estimate was that "over half a century some ten thousand people emigrated from North Devon and North Cornwall to settle in different parts of North America."
According to Rev William Bethune, 8 large transports sailed from Skye to America between the years 1771 and 1790, carrying away about 2000 souls. The exodus on a large scale was at first confined to the district of Bracadale, when 128 left beteween 1771 and 1774, 200 in 1788 and an equal number left for America 2 years later. Prior to 1774, only one person had emigrated from Raasay. When rents were nearly tripled in 1811, a number of the old tackmen emigrated rather than pay rents which they thought were imposible. Among them were the Macleods of Drynoch, and Talisker. Source: "A History of Skye", by Alexander Nicholson page 204.
In the period 1840-1900 Brayshay estimates from the official figures that 29,775 persons emigrated to British North America and 4, 864 to the U.S.A. from the Devonshire ports i.e. Plymouth, Bideford, Dartmouth, Teignmouth and Exeter. The great majority of these emigrants left from Plymouth; 26,600 to British North America and 4,445 to the U.S.A. Unlike Bideford a huge majority (374,335) of all Plymouth emigrants went to the Australian colonies and New Zealand.
Advertised February 11, 1834 as follows: EMIGRATION to Québec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the United States of America. Regular traders: Bark Calypso, Brig Collina, Brig Isabella, Brig Sappho, Brig Marina. The above superior vessels will be conveniently fitted up for Passengers. For freight and passage, apply to Mr. T. B. Chanter, Bideford.
Collina A brig built in 1827 by William Ellis for Thomas Chantor. It was loaded with lumber in PEI and sent to Britain. The Collima and Calypso became ships in which leading citizens of the Island preferred to travel, and the demand from North Devon and North Cornwall for passages in the hold became almost overwhelming.
The Collina arrived in PEI on one of her trips, by May 30, 1830, from Bideford, England. There were 74 passengers - men, women, children. The men consisted of farmers, labourers, and mechanics, and were chiefly from the counties of Devon and Cornwall.
1850 SHIP NEWS--QUEENSTOWN: May 21--Wind S.W. ARRIVED--St. Michael, Curtain, Limerick, Cork, ballast; Mary Dixon, Jones, Cardiff, Cork, iron; Brick, Meagan, Youghal, Cork, brick; Herald, Durham, Inverness, Cork, potatoes; Thikla, Schmidt, Hagendefeldt, Maraicabo, divi divi; Shooting Star, Merriman, Matanzas, orders, molasses; May, Millard, Buenos Ayres, orders, hides; Vanguard steamer. Coals--Urania, Hudson, Jessie, and Petrel. SAILED--Collina, Parkins, Québec, ballast; Sabrina
COLLINA or > EUPHEMIA, from BIDEFORD, England arriving New York May 1832. According to the New York _Evening Post_, the British brig COLLINA, [Charles L.] Hawes, master, arrived at New York on 1 May 1832, 34 days from Biddeford, in ballast, to order, with 48 passengers. You will find a microfilm copy of the passenger manifest for this voyage, dated 2 May 1832, in National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, roll 16, list #247 for 1832. You can borrow a copy of this microfilm through AGLL, any LDS (Mormon) Family History Center (Family History Library microfilm #0002261), or Interlibrary Loan.
1829 THE COLLINA, from London to PEI with 2 passengers.
1829 THE COLLINA, from Dublin Ireland to PEI.
30/5/1830 Collina Bideford P.E.I. 74 passengers from Devon and Cornwall, 63 from Plymouth. This ship mentioned in The Cradle of the Confederation, Lorne C. Callbeck, p. 136 as arriving in June –also- P.E.I. Register 1st June 1830: 74 passengers, men , women and children arrived in the Collina, Martin, Bideford. A farmers (sic), Labourers and Mechanics chiefly from the counties of Devon and Cornwall –also- same issue of the Register: Entered brig Collina from Bideford
2/11/1830 Collina Bideford P.E.I. Royal Gazette 2nd Nov. 1830: Entered, brig Collina, Capt. Martin from Bideford.
14/12/1830 Collina P.E.I. Bideford Royal Gazette 14th Dec. 1830: sailed on Friday, the Collina, Martin for Bideford.
7/6/1831 Collina Bideford P.E.I.
22/9/1835 Collina Bideford Richmond Bay P.E.I. See ad. In North Devon Journal in The Island magazine, #40, English Immigration to P.E.I., Elliott, p. 11. 1835 THE COLLINA, from Biddeford England with passengers for Richmond Bay PEI.
1837 THE COLLINA, from Bideford to PEI.
6/9/1840 Collina Bideford P.E.I.
1851 Collina - from Gloucester May 29 224? Cheltenham Union to Québec