Case Study: Sandwich, Canterbury and Spitalfields (Edexcel GCSE History) : Revision Note

Why were Sandwich, Canterbury and Spitalfields important in Early Modern migration?- Timeline & Summary

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Sandwich, Canterbury and Spitalfields were three key places where migrant weavers settled during the Early Modern period. Each town welcomed different groups of Protestant refugees: the Flemish in Sandwich, the Walloons in Canterbury, and the Huguenots in Spitalfields. These towns were important because they provided a safe place for migrants to live and work, often with support from the monarch. Queen Elizabeth I invited both the Flemish and Walloon weavers to help struggling towns recover, while Spitalfields became a centre for silk weaving.

These places were also important because they show how migrant communities could shape local economies and society. All three towns saw improvements in their textile industries, population growth, and the creation of religious communities. Migrants did not just survive there. They helped these areas change and improve.

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A map showing the location of Sandwich, Canterbury and Spitalfields

The Flemish weavers in Sandwich

Why did they come?

• The Flemish weavers were Protestant refugees

• They were fleeing:

  • Catholic persecution

  • War in the Low Countries in the mid-1500s

• Sandwich was a declining port town in Kent

• In 1561, local leaders gained permission to invite Flemish weavers to Sandwich to revive the local economy

  • Sandwich was ideal for the weavers because it had:

    • spare housing

    • space for workshops

    • close to trading routes to Europe

What was their experience like?

• Initially, the people of Sandwich welcomed the weavers

  • The townspeople gave the weavers St Peter’s Church to worship in

  • Residents brought the cloth that the made at the local market

• However, residents of Sandwich began to complain that Flemish migrants were taking jobs other than weaving away from them

• In 1569, an official order banned the Flemish weavers from working in any other trades apart from fishing and weaving

  • Migrants who refused faces significant fines

• The weavers appealed to Elizabeth I’s Privy Council in 1582

  • The council ruled in their favour, allowing them to continue their work and rejecting the restrictions

  • They also gave the weavers permission to settle elsewhere in England

    • Many Flemish migrants moved out of Sandwich

What was their impact?

• The Flemish revived the local economy by improving cloth production and introducing new techniques

• By 1582, Sandwich had around 1,500 Flemish weavers

  • This was almost half of the town's population

The Walloon weavers in Canterbury

Why did they come?

• The Walloons were Protestant weavers from the Spanish-controlled Netherlands

  • They faced severe persecution under the Catholic rule of Philip II of Spain

• In 1575, Elizabeth I formally invited Walloon migrants to settle in Canterbury

  • Similar to Sandwich, Canterbury was struggling economically and had space for newcomers

• Their weaving skills promised to boost England’s cloth trade

What was their experience like?

• European Walloons and those settled in other parts of England began settling in Canterbury

• The council gave the Walloons 100 empty buildings. With these, they established:

  • a church

  • a school

  • a weavers' hall

  • a market

• The Walloons worked well with Canterbury's officials

  • The community selected 12 elders who:

    • Enforced rules

    • Maintained law and order

    • Communicated with the local government

• The Walloons expanded the services in Canterbury

  • Walloons could make silk, dye fabric and cut diamonds

What was their impact?

• Their cloth-making success made Canterbury a wealthier town

• Many Walloons became rich

  • They opened their own workshops

  • They trained English workers in their methods, which improved local industry and exports

• By 1600, there were over 3,000 Walloons in Canterbury

  • This was around one-third of its population

The Spitalfields Huguenots

Why did they come?

• The Huguenots were French Protestants who fled France after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes

• Around 40,000–50,000 Huguenots arrived in England during this wave

  • Many Huguenots were highly skilled silk weavers

• Spitalfields, just outside the City of London, was a popular destination for several reasons:

  • It had cheap housing and space for workshops

  • A small silk weaving industry already existed, making it easier for them to settle and find work

  • As it was outside the City walls, Huguenots were not restricted by the London guild system

    • This means that they could work freely and experiment

What was their experience like?

Positive experiences

• Huguenots settled in large numbers in Spitalfields and built a strong community

• They established their own churches, known as 'temples'

  • By 1700, Spitalfields had nine churches

  • Services were held in French

  • The churches provided charity to Huguenots facing poverty

  • The most famous was La Neuve Église

• Huguenots had huge support from the government

  • In 1689, William III and Mary II released a Declaration to support the Huguenots

    • By 1693, William and Mary had given £39,000 of their own money to the cause

    • By 1700, they had raised over £64,000 for the Huguenots

  • Many Huguenots were granted denizen status

    • In 1708, the Foreign Protestants' Nationality Act gave Huguenots even more legal protection

Negative experiences

• Despite their success, English weavers feared losing work to the highly skilled and efficient Huguenots

• There was a real threat of riots in Spitalfields in the 1690s

  • Economic competition had grown

  • Anti-migrant feelings had increased

• However, violence was avoided

  • The Huguenots taught English weavers their skills

  • Government support gave Spitalfields the money needed to reduce tensions

What was their impact?

• The Huguenots made Spitalfields a centre of luxury silk production

  • Between 1650 to 1700, England produced 20 times more silk than they did previously

• Their work boosted the fashion industry and made London more international in culture and trade

• Even though there was some resentment at times, they were mostly seen as successful and respected