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In the 15th century approximately one in every ten people in England was foreign-born, and in London it was one in six. People came for many different reasons and everyone had their own story.

Artisans and craftspeople

Many migrants came to England from the Low Countries, several small states in what is now Belgium and the Netherlands. Many came as refugees from war as it was only a short sea journey to England, where conditions were more peaceful and wages were better.

Many, especially weavers, were encouraged to come by kings such as Henry III and Edward III who wanted them to pass on weaving skills to English craftspeople. They were attracted by the fact that King Edward III permitted them to set up their own weavers’ guild, which meant they could control their own business. The King also promised to help them if the English guilds caused problems for them and allowed them to work wherever they wanted. For a time he even stopped English wool leaving the country so the Flemish weavers would have to come here to work.

Many other Flemish and Dutch artisans came and settled in England. Tailors, glaziers, brick makers and shoemakers were among the many who crossed by sea to the south east of England. Craftspeople came from Ireland, Scotland and France to fill a wide variety of occupations; from saddlemakers to goldsmiths and bakers. They were joined by priests who travelled to spread the Christian faith.

Bankers and merchants

From the 1220s, wealthy banking families from Lombardy in what is now Italy began to set up in London, lending money to kings such as King Edward I who used it for wars and castle building in Wales. They replaced the Jewish moneylenders who were eventually expelled when they were no longer needed.

At the same time, German merchants from the Hanseatic League (who traded between northern European cities) set up a trading settlement called the Steelyard on the banks of the river Thames in London. It was a community with its own chapel and accommodation. The king gave these bankers and merchants a Charter in 1303, allowing them to trade in wool and other goods at reduced tax rates. There were also Spanish and Portuguese wine merchants in some English ports.

Child trafficking

There was a dark trade in enslaved young people from Iceland centred around the ports of Bristol and Hull. Some were kidnapped from their homes by English sailors, while others were sold by their poor and penniless parents. They were brought to England by force and then sold, often to artisans who used them as servants or labourers. Records show that there were Icelandic children in several towns in the English Midlands.

Wealthy immigrants

Some foreigners who came to settle were from the nobility and royalty. They included foreign nobles, some of them refugees, arriving under Crown protection. When foreign princesses arrived to marry kings, they brought many relatives and attendants who settled with them. Migrants with good connections could get letters of denization from the king, granting them the right to stay.

Servants and labourers

The largest group by far, were those who came to work as servants and labourers. Many of these were from Ireland, Scotland and France. Households in the towns and artisans’ workshops all over the country depended on foreign labour.

Beyond Europe

There is evidence in tax records, archaeological finds and DNA to suggest the presence of people from Asia and Africa too. We certainly know that goods and ideas reached Britain from beyond Europe.