General Chat

Short version of url http://goo.gl/goYPpm

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The Flemish Huguenots from modern Belgium and the Netherlands arrived in England from the C16 and were not at involved with the silk weaving industry in Spitalfields. They were closely involved with the drainage of the fens. Thorney Abbey has an excellent set of Huguenot records.

In Braintree, Essex (England) there is an excellent preserved silk mill formerly belonging to Warners. The Queens coronation robes were woven there.

The Huguenot has an emblem of a cross with a suspended dove. If you are luck one of these may have been passed down or you may see it in old photos. The Huguenot bibles were in Old French and often had extensive family history written into them.

Huguenot emblem:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=huguenot+emblem&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=6xh&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=np&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=upfzUZv6IoOWhQfV8YHgCA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=866#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=XmdgEOhmVDCDIM%3A%3Be45Ia67C09JP9M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffreepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com%252F~reynaud%252Fimages%252Fhug_x.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffreepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com%252F~reynaud%252Fhuguenot_cross.htm%3B325%3B303

Hi Christine

I have the Dewing Family of Norfolk in my tree, which according to various sources have descended from Dutch Huguenots.

My 5x Great Grandmother was Martha Dewing 1719-1769. This tree goes back as far as CHOROSOPHER DEWING born 1573 in Hackford Norfolk.

Many Hugenots lived in the Spitalfields are of east London and were weavers in the silk industry. I am sure the East London History Society must hold many records for them.

http://www.madaboutgenealogy.com/the-east-london-history-society/

We have Aingers in the family who, I think, may have been Hugenots.

We were once told they were French aristocracy who fled the revolution and we liked that.

Then I found one who was a farm labourer in the village long before that time.

Last time anybody thought I had a bit of class!

thanks everyone :-)

Hi Christine,
I have Huguenot ancestors who settled in London ( not Olivers sadly) and found this site useful

http://www.huguenotsociety.org.uk/history.html

Pam

thanks guys. With all this snow about its a chance to get on with some family history.

hi christine if google huduenots you will find some link,s on there names , history, etc happy hunting. msc

Hi i was watching a repeat of who do you think you are the other day and thay had them in their family, sounds really interesting wish i had some in mine .

julia

I have found out that a strand of my tree, the Olivers, were originally called Olivier and were Huguenot immigrants from France. I know very little about this, but the earliest info I have is Robert Oliver (name changed by then) born around 1810, married to Ann (maiden name not known). In the 1841 census they were living on Herm, in the Channel Isles, he was a tin or copper miner. A few years later the sons including Isaac and James were in Cornwall, no trace of parents. Its passed down in the family that Robert was meant to have been drowned at sea but nothing to confirm.
Has anyone got any Olivier/Oliver Huguenot ancestors, especially if they fled to the Channel Isles or Cornwall?
Or any background info on the Huguenots and why and when they may have fled France.
thanks everyone in advance.. what an interesting and enlightening thing family history is :D