Changes in Patterns of Migration into Britain c.1500 to the Present

Migration 1500–1700: Refugees from Religious Persecution

Migration to Britain before 1700 was dominated by religious refugees fleeing persecution in Catholic Europe.

The Huguenots: French Protestant Calvinists who fled to England in waves — the most significant after the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572) and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685). Around 50,000 settled in London (Spitalfields, Soho), Canterbury, Norwich and Southampton. They brought skilled trades: silk weaving, clock-making, silversmithing. Their descendants include many prominent British families.

Dutch and Flemish weavers: Arrived in the 16th century — invited by Elizabeth I to improve the English textile industry. Settled in Norwich, Colchester and Sandwich. Introduced new cloth types.

Jews: Jews had been expelled from England in 1290. Oliver Cromwell allowed their return in 1656, recognising their commercial and financial skills. Small communities re-established in London and port cities.

Migration 1700–1900: Empire, Industry and Refugees

Irish migration: Grew significantly after the Irish Famine (1845–51), when around one million Irish died and another million emigrated, many to Britain (Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow). Irish workers built much of Britain's canal and railway network ("navvies"). By 1861, over 600,000 Irish-born people lived in England and Wales.

Jewish migration from Eastern Europe: From the 1880s, pogroms (state-organised massacres) in Russia and Poland drove hundreds of thousands of Ashkenazi Jews westward. Many transited through Britain; around 120,000 settled, mainly in London's East End (Whitechapel), Leeds and Manchester. They worked in the garment ("schmutter") trade. This wave of immigration led to the Aliens Act 1905 — Britain's first immigration controls.

Empire migrants: Small communities of people from the British Empire (particularly South Asia and West Africa) lived in Britain's port cities — sailors, merchants, domestic servants.

Migration 1900–1945: World Wars and Restriction

The Aliens Act 1905 and subsequent legislation restricted immigration — responding to anti-semitic and xenophobic campaigns claiming immigrants took jobs and lowered wages.

First World War: Brought anti-German hostility — "enemy aliens" were interned; German place names anglicised; even the Royal Family changed from "Saxe-Coburg Gotha" to "Windsor" in 1917.

Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany (1930s): The Kindertransport (1938–39) brought approximately 10,000 Jewish children from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia to Britain after Kristallnacht. Adults faced tighter restrictions — the government was concerned about "absorptive capacity." Many were tragically refused entry.

Post-War Migration 1945–2000

The Windrush Generation (from 1948): SS Empire Windrush arrived 22 June 1948, carrying 492 passengers from the West Indies (mainly Jamaica) — invited to help rebuild Britain after WWII and fill labour shortages in the NHS and public transport. The British Nationality Act 1948 gave citizens of the British Empire the right to live and work in Britain. Hundreds of thousands followed from the Caribbean, India and Pakistan during the 1950s and 1960s.

Discrimination and racism: West Indian and South Asian migrants faced widespread discrimination in housing ("No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs" signs) and employment. The Notting Hill riots (1958) saw white mobs attack Black residents. The Race Relations Acts (1965, 1968, 1976) made racial discrimination in public places and employment illegal.

Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962: Began restricting migration from the Commonwealth in response to political pressure. Further restricted by 1968 and 1971 Acts.

Enoch Powell's "Rivers of Blood" speech (1968): Predicted racial violence; used inflammatory language. He was sacked from the Shadow Cabinet by Ted Heath but received widespread public support in some quarters. It shaped the political debate on immigration for decades.

1990s–2000s: Post-Soviet era migration; EU expansion (2004) led to significant Polish and other Eastern European migration — around 500,000 Poles by the mid-2000s.

Key Themes for WJEC Thematic Studies

Continuity: Migration has always occurred; migrants have often contributed skills the host country needed. Change: Patterns shifted from religious refugees (16th–17th century) to economic/empire migrants (19th–20th century) to post-war Commonwealth migration. Reaction: Each major wave of immigration prompted hostile reactions and legislation — Aliens Act 1905, Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962.