Most emigration from England was voluntary, self-financed, and pursued by people who, while expecting to improve their economic prospects, were also critical of the areas in which they first settled.

The exodus from England that gathered pace during the 19th century accounted for the greatest part of the total emigration from Britain to Canada. And yet, while copious emigration studies have been undertaken on the Scots and the Irish, very little has been written about the English in Canada.
Drawing on wide-ranging data collected from English record offices and Canadian archives, Lucille Campey considers why people left England and traces their destinations in Ontario and Quebec. A mass of detailed information relating to pioneer settlements and ship crossings has been distilled to provide new insights on how, why, and when Ontario and Quebec acquired their English settlers. Challenging the widely held assumption that emigration was primarily a flight from poverty, Campey reveals how the ambitious and resourceful English were strongly attracted by the greater freedoms and better livelihoods that could be achieved by relocating to Canada’s central provinces.

Ottawa-born Dr. Lucille Campey is a well-known writer and historian who began her career as a scientist and computer specialist, having obtained a degree in chemistry from Ottawa University. In 1967 she moved to England, where she gained a masters degree at Leeds University based on a study of English medieval settlement patterns. Inspired by interest in her Nova Scotia–born father’s Scottish roots and love of history, she studied Scottish emigration to Canada and was subsequently awarded a doctorate at Aberdeen University. Campey is the author of eight books on early Scottish emigration to Canada. More recently, Lucille has turned her attention to English emigration to Canada with her ninth book, Planters, Paupers and Pioneers. She lives near Salisbury in Wiltshire, England.

Lucille H. Campey's profile page

As with Lucille Campey’s previous books, Seeking a Better Future is a major addition to the literature for those looking for insight into their pioneer immigrant ancestor experience, in this case the English in Quebec and Ontario.

Anglo-Celtic Connections

[Lucille Campey] has distilled a copious amount of research into an informative and engaging book that clearly addresses the English immigration to Upper and Lower Canada during the 1800s. I would highly recommend this book for those interested in this period of immigration to Canada.

The British Columbia Genealogist