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Looking West

Migration did not have a major impact on England’s economy during the 16th and 17th centuries. This was because there were generally small numbers of people involved in any of the migrations in and out of the country. The exception was the Huguenot migration of the late 17th century.

Huguenots in France had generally lived in towns and had followed skilled crafts, such as textile weaving and watchmaking, and professions like law and banking. Between 40,000 and 50,000 Huguenots settled in England, mainly in major towns like London, and they continued their crafts and professions. They assimilated easily into English society, because their religion and culture were so like their host society. They learned the language and worshipped in the Protestant manner, which was dominant in England after the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

There were a number of very prosperous Huguenot families in England, and well-known descendants of those families include:

• David Garrick; a famous London-based actor of the mid-18th century who brought back a lot of Shakespeare’s works to London audiences as well as a more realistic style of acting. He was the grandson of a Huguenot wine merchant refugee from Bordeaux.
• John Dollond; a maker of optical instruments who founded an optical business in 1750, which later became the firm of Dollond and Aitchison.