The Experience of Migrants in Early Modern Britain (Edexcel GCSE History) : Revision Note

What were the experiences of migrants in Early Modern Britain?- Summary

Between 1500 and 1700, different groups of migrants came to England for many reasons, including religious persecution, war, and trade. Some, like the Huguenots and Palatines, were Protestants fleeing violence in Europe. Others, like Indian ayahs, lascars, and African servants, arrived through England’s growing empire and trading companies. The Jewish community was also re-established in the 1650s after being expelled in the Medieval period.

The experiences of these migrants were very different. Some, like the Huguenots, were welcomed because of their useful skills in the cloth trade or finance. Others, like the Palatines, were seen as poor and unskilled. Indian and African migrants often faced racism, and limited rights. Their treatment shows how status, religion, and usefulness affected the way migrants were treated.

Huguenot migrants

Reason for migration

Push factors

• Religious persecution in France, especially after the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572) and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685)

• Attacks on Protestant communities by Catholic rulers

Pull factors

• England was a Protestant nation and welcomed Huguenots

  • Edward VI approved a Huguenot church in London in 1550

  • Charles II offered Huguenots denizen status in 1681

  • The Foreign Protestants Nationality Act (1709) gave full citizen rights to European Protestants in England if they swore loyalty to the monarch

• The English government supported them for economic reasons, especially their skills in weaving, finance, and crafts

Experience of Huguenots in Britain

• Many Huguenots settled in London, Norwich, and Canterbury

Positive experiences

• Huguenots brought valuable skills in silk weaving, printing, and manufacturing, boosting the economy

• Some Huguenots became intellectuals or financiers, influencing English trade and society

• They created their own churches, schools, and communities

Negative experiences

• Some Huguenots were poor and committed crime to survive

  • Poverty forced many people, including English citizens, into crime at this time

• They faced resentment from English workers over job competition

  • In the Evil May Day riots in 1517, crowds in London attacked foreign workers and businesses, including French and Flemish migrants

  • Although this happened before the major wave of Huguenot migration, it shows a long-standing tension between native workers and skilled European migrants

German Palatine migrants

Reason for migration

Push factors

• War, famine, and religious conflict in the Palatinate region of Germany

• Economic collapse following invasions by French forces

Pull factors

• England was seen as a haven for Protestants

• The Carolina Company encouraged Palatine migrants to travel to England to emigrate to America

  • The British government funded the company

Experience of Palatines

• Around 13,000 Palatine migrants arrived in 1709

  • This overwhelmed charities and the British government

• Most had limited skills and could not easily find work

• The government deported many Palatine migrants to Ireland

  • This only worked when Irish businessmen, such as the Wexfords, offered land to Palatines

• Palatines were presented negatively in newspapers

• Few Palatines arrived in America

  • The government stopped funding the costs to travel to America

  • About two-thirds of all Palatines settled in Britain

    • This includes those who had previously been deported to Ireland

Early Modern Jewish migrants

Reason for migration

Push factors

• Jews had been expelled from many European countries

  • If they were allowed in a country, they lived under harsh restrictions

Pull factors

• Oliver Cromwell allowed Jews to return in the 1650s, hoping to boost trade and finance

• England was becoming slightly more tolerant, especially of economically useful migrants

• Some Jewish people had remained in England after 1290

  • Their families had converted to Christianity but privately followed Judaism

  • This created a community for newly-arrived Jewish people to join

Experience of Jewish migrants

Positive experiences

• Jewish migrants settled mainly in London, forming small communities

  • The local government allowed the construction of synagogues

• They worked in finance, moneylending, maritime trade, and as merchants

• The Jewish community remained small but thrived economically and culturally

Negative experiences

• Poorer Jewish people from Eastern Europe settled in areas near where they arrived, such as Whitechapel in London

  • This caused increases in:

    • organised crime

    • hate crime

• Antisemitism in Britain was still strong

  • Jewish people could not:

    • serve in the army

    • work as a lawyer

    • study in English universities

  • Popular culture portrayed Jewish people negatively

    • Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (c1598) portrays the Jewish character of Shylock as greedy and Christian-hating

    • Songs, newspapers and pamphlets spread negative stereotypes of Jewish people

Early Modern Indian migrants

Reason for migration

Push factors

• During trade with India, English people hired Indian workers

  • For example, ayahs were female servants who worked for British families living in India

• When travellers returned to England, many of them brought Indian workers and their families back with them

Pull factors

• Some sought better work opportunities or protection with British households

Experience of Indian migrants

Ayahs' experience

• Depended on how kind their employer was

  • Some ayahs were abandoned when employers returned to India

  • Other employers passed ayahs on to work for their wealthy friends or family

Lascars' experience

• Lascars were Indian sailors

• They settled in port cities like London or Bristol

• Lascars faced racism and poverty

• They had very limited rights and were often left without shelter or income

• Some were supported by local charities, but were not accepted by many in society

Early Modern African migrants

Reason for migration

Push factors

• Many people were forcibly removed from Africa through the beginnings of the transatlantic trade

  • Some Africans escaped slavery in the Americas and fled to Britain

• In 1568, some Africans rebelled against the Spanish government

  • This caused them to migrate to Britain

Pull factors

• England had growing links to African trade routes

  • Some Africans were brought as servants

  • Others arrived to England as diplomats and merchants, such as during Elizabeth I's diplomatic relationship with Morocco

• Some African migrants came voluntarily as skilled workers or musicians, but this was rare

Experience of African migrants

Positive experiences

• Some migrants were known as Black Tudors

  • They worked as musicians, servants, sailors, and craftspeople. Examples include:

    • John Blanke, a royal trumpeter for both Henry VII and Henry VIII

    • Reasonable Blackman, a skilled craftsman who ran his own silk weaving business

    • Catalina of Motril, a maid to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife

• Skilled African migrants were paid the same as English workers

  • They became respected members of society

Negative experiences

• It became popular for English nobility to have African servants

  • Many African servants were children

  • They were treated poorly and with a lack of respect