The diversity of migrant communities Revision Notes for OCR GCSE History A (Explaining the Modern World)

The diversity of migrant communities

Iceland: Young boys were either kidnapped or bought to work as household servants in Bristol and Hull.

Scotland: Though a traditional enemy of England, many Scots travelled south to find labour.

Ireland: Typically from the east, which was ruled by England, the Irish worked as servants, labourers, priests and craftsmen.

Netherlands: Many craftsmen from the Low Countries, with whom England had strong trade links, fled to England during war.

France: Many French immigrants were from Gascony, which was ruled by the English until 1453. They worked in many industries.

Italy: Mostly merchants, bankers and goldsmiths from northern Italy.

Portugal: Usually wine merchants living in English port cities.

Spain: Like the Portuguese, many were wine merchants living in English port cities.

Germany: Mostly merchants from the River Rhine. They typically worked in London.

Since Norman times, everything was written down.

Letters of denization were granted by the king, giving citizenship to those who wanted to be English subjects.

The Aliens register was kept by the government. It started in 1440 and kept a record for taxation purposes.

Migrants to England performed a variety of jobs across a wide range of industries, including: