Group    From 1500  To 1800

The Huguenots

Categories: Religion

Countries: France

French Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. The name emerged in 1560 but its derivation is unknown. The faith attracted skilled city workers such as weavers, goldsmiths and fan-makers but persecution tended to be their lot; the pictures shows the 1572 St Bartholomew Day's massacre when almost 6,000 were killed.  

The 1598 Edict of Nantes established Roman Catholicism as the religion of France but set reasonably acceptable terms for non-Catholics, such as the Huguenots. But over time conditions for them became harsher.

1685 King Louis XIV gave them the choice of conversion (to Catholicism) or prison. Some found a third option and relocated to London, bringing their skills and establishing, mainly in the East End, thriving industries in silk, lace, weaving, fan-making, etc.

Spitalfields Life has a post tying together the Hugeunots of Soho.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
The Huguenots

Commemorated ati

French hospital

Site of the French hospital founded by royal charter in 1718 to house the poo...

Read More

French Protestant Church - Soho Square

To the glory of God & in grateful memory of H. M. King Edward VI who by h...

Read More

Hanbury Hall - blue oval plaque

This plaque has a shortened version of the text on the old white plaque.

Read More

Hanbury Hall - tiled plaque

These 20 Delft tiles are decorated with scenes and symbols important in Hugue...

Read More

Hanbury Hall - white plaque - removed

Christ Church Hall Built in 1719 as a French Hugeonot {sic} church it stood b...

Read More

Show all 9

Other Subjects

Saint Erkenwald

Saint Erkenwald

Saint. Also known as Ercenwald, Earconwald, Eorcenwald and Erconwald. Born at Lindsey, Lincolnshire. He helped establish two Benedictine abbeys; Chertsey Abbey for men and Barking Abbey for women. ...

Person, Religion

2 memorials
Arthur G. B. West

Arthur G. B. West

We were delighted to find this Jack Boothe drawing of West in The Vancouver Province (British Columbia, Canada), 21 September 1935. The article, 'Big man with big hands comes out to start fifty boy...

Person, Religion, Australia

1 memorial
Cardinal Henry Edward Manning

Cardinal Henry Edward Manning

Born Totteridge.  Ordained into the Church of England in 1833, the same year he married Caroline Sargent, who died in 1837, childless.  Member of the Oxford Movement and converted to Catholicism in...

Person, Religion

1 memorial
St Martin within Ludgate

St Martin within Ludgate

The mediaeval church dates from 1174. Rebuilt in 1437 and then destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. Rebuilt by Christopher Wren 1680.

Place, Architecture, Religion

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Camilla, Queen Consort

Camilla, Queen Consort

Born London as Camilla Rosemary Shand. 1973 married Andrew Parker Bowles, 1995 divorced. 2005 married Prince Charles, when she became Duchess of Cornwall. Promoted to Queen Consort on the death of ...

Person, Royalty

6 memorials
Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere

Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere

Newspaper owner. He and his brother Alfred, later Lord Northcliffe, developed the London Daily Mail and Daily Mirror. Born Hampstead. During the lead up to WW2 he was a strong supporter of Oswald M...

Person, Benefactor, Journalism / Publishing, Bermuda

4 memorials
James Bond

James Bond

Fictional spy created by Ian Fleming, who first appeared in the novel 'Casino Royale', but see Fleming's page for an alternative origin for Bond. Eleven further novels and two short story collectio...

Fiction, Espionage, Fictional, Seriously Famous

1 memorial
Imperial College

Imperial College

Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine is an independent constituent part of the University of London. On 8 July 1907, King Edward VII granted a Royal Charter establishing the Imperi...

Group, Education, Race Issues

5 memorials
Wallingford House

Wallingford House

In 1560 Sir Francis Knollys leased the land where the Old Admiralty Building now stands to build a house which later became known as Wallingford House. In 1622 George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, ...

Building, Property

1 memorial