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== Huguenots  ==
== Huguenots  ==
=== History and Beliefs  ===
The French-speaking Protestants who fled from religious persecution and civil war on the continent are all loosely referred to as Huguenots, however this term properly refers to only those from France, and not to the ''Walloons'' from the Low Countries. However, it is often impossible to distinguish the two groups because of the shared language and churches as well as much intermarriage in the early communities in England. Their beliefs were Calvinistic and closest to the English Presbyterian style of church government. Some of the late 17th century Huguenot congregations adopted the Anglican litany translated into French and these were termed ''conformist Huguenots''. Others maintained the Calvinistic style they had used in France and have been called ''nonconformist Huguenots'', although they should be distinguished from the English Nonconformists.
==== Walloons  ====
The first wave of many thousands of French-speaking Protestants were Walloon refugees who arrived in England from the Spanish Netherlands (now Belgium and the Netherlands) in 1567, having been forced to flee the suppression of Protestantism by King Philip of Spain’s forces lead by the Duke of Alva. This group had been in England for over a century before the true Huguenots came and the two groups settled in London and the same south-eastern towns.
==== Huguenots  ====
The Huguenots, (Protestants from France), first came in 1572 after the Massacre of St. Bartholomew in Paris, and they were largely from the northern provinces of Brittany, Normandy and Picardy and mostly settled in south-eastern areas of England where the French-speaking Walloon communities had already been established. Although there was support for their religious freedom during the reigns of Elizabeth and James I, during that of Charles I and particularly during Archbishop Laud’s tenure prior to the Civil War only those born abroad and now living in Canterbury were officially allowed to practise their religion, whilst their children were to attend Anglican services. In response, some moved to Holland, and the majority to the USA, taking their craft skills with them. Far more Huguenots arrived after 1685 when Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes which had given toleration to French Protestants in 1598. About 60,000 came at this time, with two-thirds of these settling in London. Most of the others went to towns in SE England and some to Bristol, Plymouth and nearby Stonehouse in the south west. <br> <br>The history of the Huguenots throughout the English-speaking world can be found in Currer-Briggs and Gambier (''Huguenot Ancestry''. Phillimore, 1985). The Huguenots were not of any particular social level. They comprised mainly craftsmen with some nobility and some peasants. In London the upper class families and those who worked in the luxury trades such as goldsmiths, silversmiths, lapidaries, diamond cutters, jewellers, bucklemakers, clock- and watch-makers settled in London’s west end around Soho and nearby Westminster parishes. The poorer weavers, and associated tradesmen such as silk throwsters, dyers, thread- and lace makers settled in the east end in Spitalfields and Bethnal Green.
The communities were close-knit and some maintained the French language into the 19th century. Sociological studies show that it takes three generations for immigrants to totally assimilate, and most families had joined the Anglican Church or other Nonconformist groups by at least 1800.
It must also be born in mind that there was a further wave of French refugees, known as the ''emigrés'', mainly upper class and Catholic, entering England from 1789-1814 at and after the French Revolution (circa 1789-1795). Lists of the groups of these that came, but with no union index of names, are on {{FHL|257024|item|disp=FHL fiche 6035980(1)}}. The Hampshire Record Office have recently acquired a series of their letters giving graphic details of their escape and struggles.
==== Flemish  ====
The Protestant immigrants from Flanders and Brabant spoke Flemish, a Dutch dialect, and can thus easily be confused with Dutch settlers. Edward III (1327-1377) encouraged the Flemish to settle in England, as he valued their silk and other textile skills. Other waves came in 1551 and 1567 fleeing the occupying Catholic Spaniards, as did the Walloons.
They settled primarily in south eastern England, particularly in London, Norwich and Canterbury and were employed especially in silk weaving, the New Draperies and market gardening. In the 17th century more Flemish immigrants arrived with the Dutch to drain the fens of East Anglia (Beharrell).<ref>Christensen, Penelope. "England History of Huguenots, Walloons, Flemish Religions (National Institute)," ''The National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/England_History_of_Huguenots,_Walloons,_Flemish_Religions_%28National_Institute%29.</ref>
=== Huguenot, Walloon and Flemish Records  ===
The Flemish, Huguenot and Walloon refugees were the only groups allowed to have separate churches before 1642, and this was in order to conduct services in their own languages. The very active Huguenot Society has published and indexed most of the important records of all three groups, and these have also been filmed and extracted onto the IGI. The Huguenot services and records were, of-course, in French and the most important church was that in Threadneedle Street, London where most refugees gathered when they first arrived. Typically they presented a character reference, as was common in many English Nonconformist groups when moving to another congregation. Should they not be in good standing then a public repentance was made and they were subsequently admitted to membership. These first records are, then, usually in family groups and state where in France the immigrants came from.
Other French churches opened in London to serve the needs of recently arrived Huguenots, and by 1700 there were 23 there, but as families became anglicized they gradually closed. The sole survivor is a French church in Soho Square which is the ‘descendant’ of the one in Threadneedle Street and holds the archives of several of these London churches. London was by far the most important centre for French-speaking refugees, between one half and three-quarters of the Huguenots locating there. They were concentrated in the two areas mentioned above, Westminster and Spitalfields, and the large number of churches so close together creates a great problem for genealogists since members moved from one to the other quite indiscriminately.
Over 100 immigrant Protestant congregations were established in England during Elizabeth I’s reign. The main congregations outside London established in the south-east and have good registers extant:
*Essex—at Colchester and Thorpe-le-Soken.
*Hampshire—at Southampton.
*Kent—at Canterbury, Dover, Faversham and Sandwich. Settlement at Faversham was encouraged because the gunpowder industry needed the superior French expertise.
*Norfolk—at Norwich.
*Suffolk—at Ipswich.
*Sussex—at Rye.
*and in the south west, having few records extant:
*Devon—at Barnstaple, Bideford, Dartmouth, Exeter, Plymouth and Stonehouse.
*Gloucestershire—at Bristol
<br>Some Walloons had their own chapels and all known records have been published by the Huguenot Society, whilst the records of others are in the parish registers. ''The Huguenot Library'' is a joint one for the ''French Hospital'' and the ''Huguenot Society of London''.
It holds thousands of books, periodicals and transcripts of other manuscripts and a collection of over 900 Huguenot pedigrees and will abstracts. Much material has been microfilmed, for example at the country level on the FamilySearch Catalog a search for ENGLAND + HUGUENOT produces over 200 items, and there are many more at the county and town levels.
=== Huguenot, Walloon and Flemish Registers  ===
The French registers are easy to read with the aid of a simple guide such as the FHL ''Genealogical Word List - French''. However, the dates and names need to be carefully noted.
*'''Dates'''. During the 17th century there was a difference of 10 days between French and English dates, and from 1700-1752 the difference was 11 days. This was because France had adopted the new Gregorian calendar in 1582 but England waited until 1752. Thus the English 12th August was 22nd August in France. Also, the year started on 1st January in France and most of Europe whilst England continued to use 25th March until 1752. Thus one has to be careful with dates between January 1st and March 24th in order to assign them to the correct modern-style year. As an example, the French 16 February 1688 would be the English 6 February 1687, and to avoid confusion can be written 6/16 Feb 1687/8. Not all of the Huguenot refugees, or the record keepers in England, can be expected to have sorted these out or bothered to change their birthdays!<br>
*'''Names'''. Considerable care has to be taken with the interpretation of names as they are rendered in the registers. They were written as they were heard - for example French places and names by Englishmen, and English place names by French speakers. One name may have several variants even in one register, including translations, such as ''Happy'' from '''Lheureux''', or ''Jaques du Bois'' becoming ''James Wood'', and all manner of misspellings, such as ''Lacklead'' arising from the French ''de la Clide''. A useful feature of the Huguenot records is that French women retain their maiden names throughout their lives.
The French churches all have baptism and marriage registers but not burial registers as none had their own burial grounds. Most, if not all by now, have been transcribed and published by the Huguenot Society and the originals filmed. As examples, there are four films, starting at {{FHL|31284|item|disp=FHL film 0466707}}, for the London Walloon Church, Threadneedle Street, and several French Spitalfields churches starting in 1687 are filmed and have indexed printouts. The contents of the published registers can be exemplified by the Walloon or Strangers’ Church in Canterbury edited by Hovenden on {{FHL|296860|item|disp=FHL films 0086956-7}} containing:
*Baptisms 1581-1837.
*Marriages 1590-1747.
*Deaths 1581-1715.
*Abstracts of marriage contracts 1580-1680.
*Abstracts of wills 1586-1704 and possibly later.
*Abstracts of miscellaneous documents undated and 1586-1683.
*Baptismal register of the Malt House Church 1710-1823 including one marriage 1744.
*Index.
French registers contain more information than typical contemporaneous English ones. In the ''Baptisms'' the mother’s maiden name and names of two godparents (usually relatives) are given on baptisms. Examples from the church in Canterbury quoted above follow in the chart below. ''Marriage registers'' often state where the bride and groom were born as well as noting fathers’ and mothers’ names, in addition to the typical information expected in English registers. ''Burials'' of Huguenots were usually in Anglican churchyards thus they appear in the parish registers of the areas surrounding their own congregations. Some can be found in the early nonconformist cemetery at Bunhill Fields, London.
<br>
'''Chart: Baptisms in the Walloon Church, Canterbury, Kent'''<br> ''Tem: = témoins = witnesses''<br>
{| width="600" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"
|-
| 1642, Déc 11 '''Abreham''', fils d’Estienne '''DU THOIT'''. ''Tem'': Pierre de Cler, Elizabet Delme, vefue de Samuel du Bois; Marye, femme de Jaque Sy<br>
|-
| 1642 Déc 11 '''Isaac''', fils du sus dit d’Estienne '''DU THOIT'''. ''Tem'': Simon Oudar, Ester, femme d’Elye Castel; Marye, femme d’Anthoinne le Grand<br>
|-
| 1643, Jan 8 '''Sara''', fille de Jaque '''DELBEQUE''' et de Sara DE NEU, sa femme. ''Tem'': Jaque Hochepie, fils de Jaque; Jaque du Hamel, fils de Jean; Ester de Lespau, fille de Jean; Susanne Hochepie, nieche de Jaque.<br>
|-
| 1643, Mars 9 '''Ester''', fille de Dauid '''DE LESPAU''' et de Judith LE NOBLE, sa femme. ''Tem'': Jean le Keux, Salmon de Lespau, Anne, femme de Mr. Steaple, anglois; Rachel le Noble.<ref>Christensen, Penelope. "England Records of Huguenots, Walloons, Flemish Religions (National Institute)," ''The National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/England_Records_of_Huguenots,_Walloons,_Flemish_Religions_%28National_Institute%29.</ref>
|}
=== Other Records of Huguenots  ===
There are three very helpful other records made in the French churches and all have been published by the Huguenot Society and filmed:
'''''Témoignages'''''—Certificates of sound doctrine and good behaviour from their previous congregation presented to the new one. These are the most important of the documents after the registers as they state when the family arrived and from whence. Those for the London Walloon Church, Threadneedle Street 1669-1789 have been published by W. and S. Minet and are also on {{FHL|31284|item|disp=FHL film 0466698}}.
'''''Reconnaissances'''''—Profession of Calvinistic faith in lieu of a témoignage which were not able to be presented after the 1685 Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Some 3,000 of these are available for the prime years of 1686-1688 in the Acts of the Threadneedle Street congregation alone.
'''''Abjurations'''''—These were conversions from Roman Catholicism and were comparatively rare.
A fascinating series of manuscripts reporting on visits during 1879-1883 by church representatives to the lapsed members of their congregations in London’s east end has been described by Gandy (1997).
==== Huguenot Charities  ====
A number of charities were established by Huguenots to assist members in difficulties, especially the nearly destitute late-17th century refugees, by the French Committee from 1681-1704. Records of some have been published by the Huguenot Society in their Quarto Series) or in their annual Proceedings, both of which are on film. The Huguenot Library has much more unpublished charity material as well.
Marmoy’s splendid series on the vast records of the ''French Protestant Hospital'' called ''La Providence'', at Rochester in Kent was published in the Quarto Series as volumes 52 and 53. It has extracts relating to all inmates and unsuccessful applicants 1718-1957 as well as for the Coqueau Charity 1745-1901, with details such as appear below.
<br> '''Chart: Extracts from Archives of the French Protestant <br>Hospital at Rochester'''
{| width="600" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"
|-
| '''Rosina CLARKE née HITCHINS, inmate'''
|-
| Petitioned 17 Feb 1923. Entered 6 Oct 1928, left 5 Dec 1931. Of 261 Harrow Road, Leytonstone, parish of East Leyton. Widow, d/o Henry Hitchins and Rebecca Hitchins née Barnardier. Born 5 May 1857 in Abbey Place, Bethnal Green. On mother’s side an ancestor was a French Protestant who left France about 1776. Brother George Hitchins (also in the index).Formerly a domestic, married, now supported by Port of London Authority with an annuity of £29 per annum. In her file are copies of her birth and marriage certificates, death certificate for (husband), Mr. T. Clarke; etc.<br>
|-
| '''Sarah Elizabeth CLARKE, applicant'''
|-
| Entered 31 Mar 1880, deceased 22 Jul 1880. Of 133 Columbia Square, Bethnal Green. Spinster d/o James and Sarah Clarke. Born 26 Oct 1823 in Busby Street, Bethnal Green. Mother was a d/o Elizabeth Vatin, a member of French Protestant church until her death. Petitioner is niece of Susannah Lawson (also in index) a former recipient of Coqueau Charity. Formerly a weaveress, now supported by waistcoat making, earns about 6/- weekly from the use of her needle. Failing health. In her file are copies of parish register entries for her birth/christening, parents’ marriage, mother Sarah Palmer’s birth/christening and grandparents Joseph Palmer and Elizabeth VATIN’s marriage.
|}
<br>
The ''Friendly Benefit Society'' of Bethnal Green, Middlesex was one of the Huguenot Friendly Societies whose object was to grant weekly allowances to sick members, an allowance at death of members and their wives, and a retirement pension. An example from the records appears in below.
==== Court Books of the Weavers’ Company  ====
This City of London craft guild had a large French membership heavily concentrated in the Spitalfields area of east London and their records can be very useful, not only for details of their work, but for family relationships.
<br> '''Chart: Excerpts from Bethnal Green (Huguenot) <br>Friendly Benefit Society Minutes'''
{| width="600" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"
|-
| 1857 Apr 6 Proposed by Mr Geo Ferry, W<sup>m</sup> Goddard by trade a Cabnet (sic) maker, 34 Turk St. Bethnal Green, aded (sic) 20 years.
|-
| 1858 Jul 5 Proposed by Mr Edw. Ferry, Tho Stillwell by trade a Weaver, No 24 Mape St Bethnal Green, aged 23 years.
|-
| 1858 Jul 5 Proposed by Mr Tho Combs, seconded by Mr John Hill that all members arived (sic) at the age of 65 years that he be excenpt (sic) the call for Steward. Carried.<br>
|-
| 1859 Mar 7 Proposed by Mr Keymer, Henery Treadway by trade a Fancy Trimming Manufacturer, No 10 North Side Bethnal Green, aged 19 years
|-
| 1859 Apr 4 Proposed by Mr Tho Combs, Alfred W<sup>m</sup> Combs by trad (sic) Pawnbroker, No 2 Proverdance (sic) Row, Old Ford Road, aged 19 years. Admitted.
|}
<br>
==== Huguenot Family Histories, Pedigrees and Probate  ====
There are a huge number of Huguenot family histories and Wagner collected about 900 Huguenot pedigrees, both sources being well represented in the FHL. A large number of Huguenots left wills, many of which have been indexed and abstracted by Wagner and are at the Huguenot Library.
==== Huguenot Publications  ====
Gwynn’s two publications (Records of Huguenots in the British Isles, pages 1-9 in Volume F, World Conference on Records and Genealogical Seminar, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA 5-8 August 1969. Genealogical Society of Utah. {{FHL|17515|item|disp=FHL fiche 6039361(1)}} and Huguenot Heritage: The History and Contribution of the Huguenots in Britain. Routledge) , Currer-Briggs and Gambier (''Huguenot Ancestry''. Phillimore, 1985), and Delaforce (Undated, about 1981.''Family History Research'' Vol I “The French Connection”. Regency Press, London.) are good places to start, and Kershaw and Pearsall (''Immigrants and Aliens. A Guide to Sources on UK immigration and citizenship.'' PRO Publications, 2000) have details of the PRO holdings. The Huguenot and Walloon Research Association are about to publish a valuable index to the French Protestant Hospital records and a ''Guide to Protestant Ancestry Research'', an article by Tsushima describes their work.
''The Huguenot Society of London'' has lead the way in gathering and publishing records of a particular religious group. The ''Proceedings'' run from 1885 and their record series (the''Quarto Series'') from 1887 to date, many giving complete transcriptions of archive material, for example the ''Returns of Aliens, Denizations'' and ''Naturalizations'' and ''Oaths of Naturalization'' from the PRO, and all of the London French church registers. Both the ''Quarto Series'' and the ''Proceedings'' are on film and there is a comprehensive (but not all-name) index by Marmoy (''General Index to the Proceedings and the Quarto Series of Publications of the Huguenot Society of London, 1885-1985''. Huguenot Society. {{FHL|501804|item|disp=FHL book 942.1 C42m}}). Ramsay-Sharp (''Huguenot Surname Index Quarto Series Volumes 1-40''. Society of Australian Genealogists) has completely surname-indexed volumes 1-40 of the Quarto Series.<ref>Christensen, Penelope. "England Huguenot Records (National Institute)," ''The National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/England_Huguenot_Records_%28National_Institute%29.</ref>


This Protestant group began in France then spread to England as its members fled persecution. Huguenots began keeping records as early as 1567; however, few pre-1684 records still exist.  
This Protestant group began in France then spread to England as its members fled persecution. Huguenots began keeping records as early as 1567; however, few pre-1684 records still exist.  
Line 732: Line 878:
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Most of the names from these Huguenot registers are listed&nbsp;at [https://www.familysearch.org/#form=historical_records FamilySearch.org]&nbsp;and at [http://www.bmdregisters.co.uk BMDRegister.co.uk].  
Most of the names from these Huguenot registers are listed&nbsp;at [https://www.familysearch.org/#form=historical_records FamilySearch.org]&nbsp;and at [http://www.bmdregisters.co.uk BMDRegister.co.uk].


== Society of Friends  ==
== Society of Friends  ==
Murphynw
407,336

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