Plymouth Emigrant Depot

Even if they don't realise it, Australians have a strong connection to the English port of Plymouth, dating from the date of the First Fleet. Later, hundreds of thousands of our ancestors left from Plymouth to sail to Australia.

In 2018 my sister Cathy and I spent a week in Cornwall, treading in the footsteps of our Dennis forebears from the Land's End area. We wanted to see the point where they said goodbye to their homeland. They would have travelled by train from Penzance in Cornwall to Plymouth, in the neighbouring county of Devon, but what happened then?

A bit of Googling uncovered the existence of an assembly point described and illustrated beautifully in an article headed ‘The Colonial Government Emigrant Depot, Plymouth’ and published in the Illustrated Sydney News, Sat 10 May 1884, pp 3 & 10, with a full page of illustrations on page 8. This depot had a long history, described here, but as my Cornish relatives arrived in Sydney in 1874 the article published in 1884 serves as a useful guide to their experiences:

The interest evinced throughout all the colonies regarding emigration from England to the colonies has given rise to a number of debates in all our Legislatures, resulting in many changes beneficial to all concerned.
In order to make our readers conversant with the present arrangements for giving effect to the annual vote for immigration purposes, the proprietors of this journal have been at the expense of commissioning a London artist to visit Plymouth, and by pen and pencil to supply the requisite information.
The depot system had its origin in the want which made itself strongly felt many years ago of a home in which to assemble emigrants who were collected from all parts of England, Ireland, and Scotland, whether sent out free, or assisted only, for embarkation in vessels specially chartered by the Government for their conveyance since it was found that agricultural labourers and others coming from a distance, as strangers, were frequently allured into low lodging houses by crimps, always on the look out for them, and plundered of what few means they possessed, besides being liable to incur infection in badly-drained and ill-ventilated courts, where they were brought into contact with disease before being put on board ship.
It was felt that a stay of three or four days in a clean well-ordered home, with good food, and under the gentle discipline of well-considered depot rules, would enable the people to embark in health and comfort, medical examination having meanwhile eliminated any doubtful or suspicious cases which would otherwise have been a source of danger to the whole community on the vessel.
Plymouth has always been the leading port for Government emigration, its position being unrivalled as a point of departure. The vessels which are specially chartered for emigrants as a rule take their cargo on board in London, and the berths are there fitted, the finishing arrangements being made during the passage down the channel, so that, on the embarkation at Plymouth no delay occurs in getting clear away to sea, an advantage which is well understood by captains of vessels, while the emigrants are spared all the delay and risk of collision in the often tedious passage from the Thames to the Lizard.
The Emigrant Depot at Plymouth is the only establishment of its kind on any considerable scale in the kingdom, and is admirably adapted for its purposes. It consists of a huge pile of buildings and exercise grounds, occupying the site of the old Royal Naval Victualling Yard, in use before the new and well-known buildings were erected at Devonport by the British Government. The premises being no longer required for Government use were sold in the time of George IV and subsequently passed into the hands of the present owners, by whom they have been fitted up and gradually extended for emigration purposes until they have reached their present condition.

Plymouth Emigrant Depot

The buildings forming the Emigrant Depot are situated at the end of Commercial Road, immediately under the Citadel, and close to the Point known as Fisher's Nose. They have a fine sea frontage of 450 feet, looking out on Sutton Harbour, the Catwater, and a portion of the Sound, with convenient steps for loading luggage into barges and embarking emigrants by steam tender.
The recent addition made to the Depot Buildings now raise the number of fixed berths in the dormitories to- single men, 372 statute adults; single women, 402 statute adults; married couples and children, 344 statute adults; total 1,118; and, by occupying other rooms usually kept in reserve, and not fitted with permanent berths, a considerable number in addition can be provided for, by the use of iron folding beds, a supply of which is always kept in readiness, with bedding, &c, &c, in case of special need arising.
Large and well-warmed and ventilated mess-rooms are appropriated for the use of emigrants in the day time, the single women having their own special day rooms (entirely apart from the married people and single men), and also dormitories specially approached from their own rooms only, and provided with lavatories and constant water supply.
Separate lavatories are provided for men, and lavatories and wash-houses for women and children, with a supply of hot water and washing trays to enable them to wash necessary articles during their stay.
The following are the dimensions of some of the principal day rooms for the use of the emigrants:-Single women mess room, 58 feet by 43 feet ; married people's and men's room, 50 feet by 41 feet; lavatory for men, 24 feet by 31 feet ; women's wash-house, 26 feet by 11 feet ; kitchen, 38 feet by 34 feet.
Emigrants are admitted to the Depot at any hour of the day or night on production of their Embarkation Orders, issued by the Agents-General ; and on the days upon which emigrants are due to arrive servants from the Depot meet all trains at the several stations, and the various steamboats from Scotland and Ireland, in order to direct the people to the Depot, and to instruct them as to the luggage, for the conveyance of which, free of cost, service of vans has been organised under arrangement with the Agents-General.
On arrival at the Depot the people hand in to the Depot Master their Embarkation Orders as his warrant for receiving them. The Depot Master satisfies himself that the emigrants correspond, as to number and ages, with orders presented, enters their names in his arrival book, and if they appear to be in good health, passes them on to the mess room where the mess man gives them their tables and makes them at once at home. The single women are shown to their own special mess-rooms, into which no men are admitted, and where they are in charge of the matron.
The luggage is taken into the large luggage stores for protection, and before being placed on the luggage barge for shipment each box and package is opened by the emigrants, and the contents shown to experienced servants, specially detailed for this duty, in order to guard against the taking on shipboard of prohibited articles which might be a source of danger, such as feather beds or pillows, fire arms, offensive weapons, gunpowder, percussion caps, matches, beer, spirits, or articles of food of a perishable nature.
The usual day for assembly at Plymouth is Monday, and in that case emigrants embark on the Wednesday or Thursday of the same week, the interval being devoted to verification of the people by the Government dispatching officer, to medical examination by the ship's doctor, to the arranging of messes, and issue of various requisites for use on board, to examination of clothing and luggage, and to final muster and passing by the Board of Trade at the time of departure.
Printed rules, which have been sanctioned by the Agents-General for the Colonies, and to which their signatures are appended, are exhibited for regulating the conduct of emigrants during their stay in the depot, in order to ensure cleanliness and order.
Conspicuous notices are also exhibited desiring any emigrant who may have cause of complaint of the working of any depot rules, or of the conduct of any depot servant, to lay his case at once before the Agent-General himself, or before his dispatching officer, who is all day long at the depot, in order that investigation may be made at the time ; but such complaints are extremely rare, and every effort is made to render the people cheerful and happy during their short stay before embarkation.
A small free library of books is available for those who desire to read. The mess-room walls are hung with illustrations of colonial life and scenery, most of which have been kindly presented by the Agents-General for the several colonies, and cheerfulness and content are the rule among the people.
Among almost every ship's complement of emigrants are to be found those who play upon the violin or some other instrument, and around whom are found groups of emigrants  who greatly appreciate the music thus afforded them, and not unfrequently indulge in an accompanying reel or other dance.
The depot establishment is under the charge of a resident depot master and matron, who, with a sufficient staff of servants, manage and carry out the work of the establishment.
The cubic space allowed in fitting up may be judged of by the following dimensions of the principal dormitories; and the day-rooms are in fully equal proportions:- Dormitory for married people, fitted for 104 S.A., 49 feet 3 inches by 30 feet 5 inches; 14 feet 9 inches high; Dormitory for single men, fitted for 64 S. A., 35 feet 9 inches, by 24 feet 5 inches; 12 feet 4 inches high; Dormitory for single women, fitted for 248 S. A., 74 feet 10 inches, by 43 feet 3 inches; 15 feet high.
The berths for single men and single women are ranged in rows, giving a width of 21 to 24 inches for each person, and a separate bed and blankets for each. The beds are of cocoa fibre, which, properly dressed and made up, forms an excellent stuffing, and possesses the great advantage that no vermin will ever harbour in it. Each bed has an extra loose linen cover to admit of frequent washing, and the blankets are changed frequently, and always kept in a state to invite careful inspection.

Dormitories for Single Persons

The married people's berths are constructed in the form of enclosed bunks, 3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet in width, and 9 feet long, the ends projecting about a yard, and provided with curtains to be drawn by the occupants when in use, to ensure perfect privacy.

Left, Single Women's Mess accessed via stairs. Right, Married People's Berths

Baths for women or for men are available at a moment's notice for hot or cold water. A hot air chamber for cleansing, fumigating, and disinfecting purposes is provided, which can be heated to any degree required in a few minutes by a peculiar application of Bunsen's burners.
It is the practice to use limewhite for all the walls after every ship, and to well scrub every berth and all the floors with soft soap and: disinfectants, in order that the rooms may be perfectly clean for the use of the next arrivals. The mess utensils are also well cleaned and scalded after use on every occasion.
The kitchen is a very large stone-paved room, with apparatus arranged for baking and boiling (without any inconvenience) food for 1000 people at once. The meat is cut into joints of 7½  lbs. each for a mess of 10 S.A., and served in large earthenware dishes, divided for meat on one side and potatoes on the other. Soup is made for the children from the boiled meat left, and is much appreciated as an addition to their diet.

Kitchen, Plymouth Emigrant Depot

When the emigrants have taken their places at the mess tables on the sounding of the bell, the captain of each mess proceeds to the kitchen and receives the dinner for his table in exchange for a dinner ticket given to the cook. Thus the distribution is made quickly, and without any confusion, and so also at breakfast and tea time a similar plan is carried out, the captain of each mess and an assistant taking the large teapot and the provisions for the supply of his own table. The dietary scale is liberal, and the food carefully inspected and selected.
The recent addition to the depot by the purchase of the adjoining premises, has added largely to the open-air yard space available for exercise and amusement, and has also given several large rooms on the level of the yard, entirely open at one end, in which people can amuse themselves under shelter in wet weather.
Among the arrangements made by the Agents-General for the Colonial Governments during the stay in the depot it may be mentioned that from among the emigrants the matron selects a sub-matron to assist her on the voyage, and the dispatching officer selects a schoolmaster for the voyage, to teach the children, and constables to act under the doctor in carrying out beneficial regulations and preserve order on board ship.
Linen bags are issued to each emigrant, in which to keep his mess utensils, &c, for use on the vessel. Boxes and other property can be insured at the depot for the voyage. Savings' Bank receipts are given in exchange for any money the emigrants may desire to deposit for safe custody, payable at sight, without any charge, on arrival in the colony.
Specially reduced fares from London and many of the principal towns in all parts of England and Scotland have been arranged with most of the Railway Companies for the conveyance of emigrants to Plymouth, available by all trains, and allowing an extra amount of luggage, thus cheapening and facilitating the journey to the port.
When the stay of people in the depot extends over Sunday, emigrants are encouraged to go to whatever place of worship they please, and when a Sunday does not form part of their stay it is always arranged, when practicable, that a chaplain attends one evening and holds a service for those who desire to be present; a Catholic priest also administering (in a separate part of the building) religious advice and service to members of his faith.
As far as possible it is arranged that only the emigrants for one ship at a time are summoned but as it will occasionally happen that the arrangements of the several Agents-General do not admit of carrying out this rule, the recent additions have been so planned that, when necessary, two ships' people are received at once and entirely kept apart, duplicate offices, mess rooms, dormitories, and yard space being available, so that the people for one ship or colony are not brought into contact with those for another, and the work of each dispatching officer goes on simultaneously without clashing. This arrangement is specially valuable in the case of any unforeseen detention of a vessel through accident or stress of weather.
On the embarkation of the people a final muster is made, and the emigrants pass in succession before the officer of the Board of Trade, the medical officer of the port; and the dispatching officer of the Colonial Government, the names being ticked off as the emigrants pass into the steamer alongside the depot wall, which steamer conveys them direct on board the emigrant vessel in the Sound ; and the work of "messing" the people having been performed during their stay at the depot, they readily find their way on board to the berths provided for each person and family by the numbers on the berths corresponding with the mess cards taken with them. 

My sister and I wanted to see this amazing place in its current guise. Early on a Sunday morning we walked all round the old port area of Plymouth. We walked under the Mayflower archway and stood on the Mayflower Steps, where that famous group of settlers had left for America four centuries earlier.

The Mayflower Steps, Plymouth

The Mayflower Memorial Gate, Plymouth

We imagined our Cornish ancestors walking down a similar set of steps in 1873, full of hope for a bright new future on the other side of the world.

We took photos of historic plaques, including one for the First Fleet ships 'Friendship' and 'Charlotte', which loaded their convict passengers aboard at Plymouth in 1787.

Plaque Honouring First Fleet at Plymouth

There was even a plaque remembering the Cornish migrants who went to South Australia.

South Australia's Acknowledgment of its Cornish Pioneers

We asked people about the Plymouth Emigrant Depot. We asked at the Tourist Information Office, once it opened. No-one could tell us where the Depot was. The Tourist Office was very helpful and eventually located a reference in a book and pointed us to the right spot.

Location of Plymouth Emigrant Depot

It was a disappointing destination - a car park, the Elphinstone Long Stay Car Park to be precise, located centre foreground in the above aerial photo.

Elphinstone Long Stay Car park, Plymouth

The Citadel Looms above the Car Park

The car park offered a good vantage point for fishing, and for looking straight out to sea into the western reaches of the English Channel.

Looking Towards the Entrance to Plymouth Harbour

Only one building, near the entrance to the car park, appears to survive from the Plymouth Emigrant Depot days.

Vestiges of the Plymouth Emigrant Depot

We departed somewhat mystified and disappointed. Had we really found the right spot for a place so significant in Australian history? Plymouth is missing a major tourism opportunity by not erecting an instructive story board in this spot.

• Read more about the depot in a similar article here
• A wag with a sense of humour describes it here
• Read more about my Dennis forebears in From Buryan to Bondi, covering a history dating from the 1650s in St Buryan, Cornwall to Bondi Beach in the early 1900s, the sinking of the Emden in 1914 and the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge..