Passenger Lists, Outwards
1890-1960
These give the names of all passengers leaving the British Isles where the ship's eventual destination was a port outside Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. Names of passengers who disembarked at European ports from these ships will be included in these lists. Passenger lists earlier than 1890, and lists for ships whose voyages both began and ended within Europe (including Britain and ports in the Mediterranean sea) have not survived.
The information given varies throughout the years but can include age, occupation, last address in the UK and proposed destination country. They do NOT show intended address at destination nor next of kin, and there is no biographical information other than that shown here. Those researching American passengers may find that there is more information shown on the equivalent US arrival lists than is shown on British departure lists. These outbound lists are often the key to those researching transmigrant ancestors, often providing the missing link to discovering the name of the vessel bringing them on the first leg of their voyage to a new home.
Outbound lists name ALL passengers departing through British ports for onward ocean passage. They are not emigration lists, and therefore include tourists, visitors, business people and those not intending to make a permanent home in the destination country. ANY ship carrying passengers will be included - volunteer aid workers, temporary plantation workers for the British Colonies, Missionaries - there are passenger lists for tankers, banana boats, cattle boats and all other ships carrying passengers for any reason.
They are a wonderful memento and often contain unique information not recorded in any other archive. They are unindexed, and you need to have a reasonably good idea of when your passenger sailed if you are to have a realistic chance of finding them.