The Hector emigrant ship left Loch Broom bound for Canada

The Hector emigrant ship left Loch Broom in Scotland bound for Canada on 15 September 1773, carrying around 200 passengers. Its passengers were among the first Scottish residents to travel to Canada and endured an eleven-week voyage during which eighteen children died and the ship was battered by storms.

On arrival in Canada, the Scots found no sign of the land or work they had been promised and were forced to move further inland to find new homes. More than 100,000 modern-day Canadians and Americans are estimated to be descended from the original Hector settlers.

The Hector was built in Holland in 1770 and in 2000, opened to the public as a restored museum ship (pictured here) operated by the Hector Heritage Quay.

(Image copyright Dennis Jarvis)