In the century before the outbreak of the First World War almost two million men, women and children left Scotland for a new life overseas across the expanding English-speaking world. Scotland lost a greater proportion of its population than any other country except Ireland and Norway. This is the first book to provide a comprehensive account of that "great exodus".
In a book drawing on a rich variety of sources and research from all over the world, Marjory Harper considers all the major themes of this remarkable story. Who left? Why did they leave? How was this emigration organized and paid for? What was the (often appalling) journey like? Where did the emigrants go? What did they find there and what was their experience? What did the Scots bring to their new countries? Is there a recognisable Scottish identity in this diaspora?
