Who Do You Think You Are? Encyclopedia of Genealogy (57 page)

•  The Livery Companies of the City of London: Their origin, character, development, and social and political importance
by William Carew Hazlitt

•  My Ancestor Was a Freemason
by Pat Lewis (Society of Genealogists, 1999)

If you have a strong interest in freemasonry then it would be worthwhile visiting the Freemasons' Hall in London. It has exhibitions, a museum and a library open to the general public.

Migrants have been coming to settle in the British Isles for many centuries. Some came as aggressive invaders, such as the Romans, Vikings and Normans, whilst other groups of people have arrived for economic reasons, or as refugees fleeing religious or political persecution. Whatever their reasons for coming here, tracking migrant ancestors can reveal fascinating stories for family historians.

The Jewish community, Huguenots and many other foreign Protestant groups are important examples of those seeking asylum from violent repression in their own homelands. Huguenot records have been described previously in
Chapter 7
, but records relating to the Jewish community will be discussed in detail below.

As Britain's empire expanded in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, people living in its dependent colonies increasingly became entitled to British citizenship. In the decades after the end of the Second World War, large-scale immigration from the former colonies of the West Indies and South Asia was actively encouraged by the government, as labour was in short supply. However, there has been a black presence in England far earlier than the mid-twentieth century. For example, many former African slaves lived in Britain in the eighteenth century until the trade in slaves was finally abolished by Britain in 1807, and after slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1834 growing numbers moved here. More information about the black and Asian presence in this country prior to the twentieth century, from 1500 to 1850, can be obtained by accessing an online exhibition on The National Archives website (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory). The most recent wave of immigration has been from
Eastern Europe after many of these countries joined the European Union in 2004.

‘
Britain has been home to countless waves of migrants from around the world
.'

As there have been so many periods of immigration to the country it would not be uncommon to find at least one ancestor born outside the UK. Depending upon when someone arrived in the UK, and from whence they came, there may be surviving documents recording their arrival and subsequent life in the country. As a second stage it may also be possible to trace the migrant's family in their country of origin, depending which country it was and at what period. However, for a variety of reasons, this second-stage research can be time consuming and problematic and it is best to seek advice from suitable organizations on the feasibility of conducting such research. A good place to begin finding out further information is on the individual country pages on the website www.cyndislist.com.

The British State has been recording the entry of foreigners through many methods for many centuries. Historically, foreign immigrants would be referred to as ‘aliens' and were subject to various additional regulations such as extra taxation and were entitled to fewer rights than British citizens. These extra regulations placed upon the lives of immigrants led to extra documentation that has become good source material for anyone researching their family tree. However, anyone researching Irish migrants in this period will not find any mention of these individuals as they were not seen as foreign but as Britons. Systematic record keeping of aliens began from 1793 onwards with the Aliens Act, but there are certain relevant records (mainly related to tax) dating back much further.

The majority of records for this period are held at The National Archives, mainly in taxation, chancery and custom record series.
Information will be scattered amongst these series and there is no single index to all these sets of records.

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The very first records note foreign merchants and clergy from the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries in C 47. E 106 lists foreign laymen's possessions in England and what fines were placed upon alien clergy during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

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The series E 179 holds the Exchequer Subsidy Rolls, which record taxes raised between the twelfth and seventeenth centuries. Foreigners had to pay twice the rate of tax on movable property (known as subsidies) as English citizens. These returns are arranged geographically (by county) then annually, and it is only feasible to search these records if a time and place for your ancestor's residence here is known (as no index is available).

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Port records list how much custom was payable by ships entering various ports throughout the country. They are found in series E 122 and are known as Particulars of Customs' Accounts, dating back to 1272. Along with the amount of custom payable is a record of the name of the ship, the master and the merchant who owned the goods that were entering the country. The record would also detail whether the merchant was a foreigner or not. Port books from 1565 to 1799 can be found in E 190 with similar information being found as the earlier records.

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The State Paper collections from Edward VI to James I also list returns of strangers in London and other parts of the country in 1571 and 1618. Some of these lists appear in the printed calendar of State Papers, which are indexed. Later calendars of State Papers also include the issuing of passes by Secretaries of State to allow Britons and foreigners to enter or leave the country.

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Treasury records also have records of foreigners and refugees who received pensions or annuities from the Crown as methods of payment for a variety of reasons. These payments are recorded in Treasury In-Letters in T 1 from 1557 to 1728, which are indexed in calendars.

The Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland has published three volumes of alien lists from 1509 to 1800, which include immigrants other than Huguenots:

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Letters of Denizations and Acts of Naturalization for Aliens in England, 1509–1603

•
Letters of Denizations and Acts of Naturalization in England and Ireland, 1603–1700

•
Letters of Denizations and Acts of Naturalization in England and Ireland, 1701–1800

A new wave of migrants started to enter the country from the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century onwards, mainly arriving from France to escape the turmoil following the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. This new wave of refugees led to the passing of
legislation in attempts to monitor and control the new influx. The first of these was the Aliens Act of 1793. From now on everyone entering the country had to register with the Justice of Peace and provide personal details about themselves. The JP would then forward this information in the form of certificates to the Aliens Office. Although the certificates held by the Aliens Office have not survived (apart from an index to the records in HO 5/25–32 for 1826 to 1836), local county record offices may have surviving documentation created by the JPs. Further records may be found in series HO 1. This correspondence series contains some passes given to aliens between 1793 and 1836. These passes contain the names of aliens, their entry port, religion, country of origin and occupation, amongst other details.

Another Aliens Act was passed in 1836 in response to the continued political turmoil in Europe and the threat of political revolution in many places, including the UK. Indeed, aliens came to be regarded increasingly with a certain degree of suspicion. Henceforth each immigrant arriving had to place his or her signature on a certificate of arrival. The surviving certificates, for arrivals into England and Scotland, are held in series HO 2 and cover the years 1836 to 1852. They are indexed in HO 5/25–32 (the indexes end in 1849). Each certificate provides similar details to the passes issued to aliens in HO 1. A specific index to certificates issued to some German, Polish and Prussian immigrants for 1847 to 1852 is also available at The National Archives (called the Metzner Index). HO 3 also contains records created in response to the 1836 Act.

The status of new arrivals arriving into the UK continued to be monitored and regulated during the twentieth century, in part due to the great political upheavals, conflicts and changes that occurred in this century. The UK saw large numbers of arrivals of refugees and economic migrants in this time period and many of these arrivals would become naturalized citizens in due course.

The first Act passed in this period was the Aliens Act of 1905. This ensured that alien paupers or criminals could be expelled. Moreover, foreign nationals could also be deported if they were convicted of crimes. Trial and criminal records can be traced for such individuals in the same manner as other criminal records, discussed in detail in
Chapter 27. The National Archives series HO 372 contains registers of deportees. These registers should give the deportee's name, nationality and conviction details.

The start of the First World War in 1914 resulted in the Aliens Registration Act, an attempt to monitor in more detail the Germans living in the UK at this time (many of whom were interned during the war years). The Act required that all aliens aged over 16 register with the police, and also to re-register if their personal circumstances changed. Unfortunately, not many registration cards have survived for this period. A small number (approximately 1,000) are held in The National Archives in series MEPO 35. Depending upon where the individual registered, the cards may be with the appropriate record office, although again the survival rate is far from complete. Bedford Record Office has a large collection (approximately 25,000) from 1919 to 1980. Further details about what is available in local record offices can be found in Kershaw and Pearsall's
Immigrants and Aliens
(published by The National Archives).

The German invasion of Belgium in 1914 resulted in approximately 2,000 refugees fleeing their home country and arriving in the UK. They were housed in refugee camps throughout Britain and were registered by the Ministry of Health and the Local Government Board. Their entry was recorded on cards, known as ‘history cards', which are now held in The National Archives series MH 8. Cards were created for every family arriving and give detailed information about the personal details of these families. Some local record offices may also contain information about refugees who were housed locally.

The main sets of archives relating to prisoners of war during the First and Second World War are held by the International Council of the Red Cross in Geneva. They are willing to conduct research at an hourly cost and can be contacted at the following address:

International Council of the Red Cross

Archives Division

19, Avenue de la Paix

CH-1202 Geneva

Switzerland

The menace of the Nazis in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s threatened many countries and communities in addition to the Jewish community (records of Jewish refugees will be discussed along with general Jewish records). Many of those under threat chose to escape their homes and find refuge in Britain and other safe countries.

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Czechoslovakian refugees:
Many Czechoslovakians chose to leave their country after the Munich Pact in 1938. These refugees established the Czechoslovak Refugee Trust a year later. The Trust's administration files and a sample of personal files can be found in HO 294.

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Polish refugees:
Around 160,000 Poles fought alongside the British against the Nazis during the Second World War. After their home country became a Communist state under Soviet influence many
Poles were reluctant to return home and wished to stay in Britain. The British government allowed them to do so and allowed ex-soldiers to bring their wives over.
    A Polish Resettlement Corps (PRC) was established to assist these ex-soldiers to settle into civilian life. Files found in WO 315 concern the affairs of the PRC and the Army Lists of the PRC found in this series name many ex-soldiers.
    In 1947 the Polish Resettlement Act was passed to help Poles establish themselves in Britain. The National Archives has many records concerning this process in the Unemployment Assistance Boards (AST), in series AST 7, AST 11, AST 18 and AST 1, and also in ED 128.

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Hungarian refugees:
Some Hungarian citizens also chose to flee the Soviet annexation of their country at the end of the Second World War and settle in Britain. A further influx arrived in 1956, after the failed Hungarian Uprising against Communist rule. Information concerning their admission and arrival can be located in HO 352, although there is very little on individual refugees themselves.

‘
Many communities fled to Britain during the 1930s and 1940s
.'

The two world conflicts during the twentieth century created not only a number of refugees who were welcomed into Britain, but also witnessed some foreign citizens being interned during the war years. There are very few personal records for those interned during the First World War, only lists of enemy aliens submitted by those running the internment camps in HO 45 and HO 44.

There are more details for those interned during the Second World War. The cards of those interned (approximately 8,000 aliens, including those who had fled Nazi persecution in Germany) can be found in HO 396. The cards have photographs of the internees and give personal details including nationality. HO 214 contains the few surviving personal files of internees. Further information can be found in HO 215, the series providing lists of internees in various camps. County record offices may have additional information on how the camps were administered. The Heritage Library of the Isle of Man is one such example, providing information on internment camps on the island during both conflicts.