Nature of Source
Records of those who came to Britain from other countries. The first immigrant group that arrived in Britain for which we have records was the protestant Huguenots fleeing persecution in France. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, many Germans seeking a better economic life settled in Britain. Italians also settled in Britain in large numbers during the 19th century. The first group of Jews to settle arrived following freedoms granted under Oliver Cromwell. They were mainly Sephardic Jews exiled from Spain and Portugal. Later in the 19th and 20th centuries large numbers fled to Britain from Eastern and central Europe. They settled in London’s East End and other cities notably Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester.
Most pre-1890 passenger lists were destroyed. Look for clues of a country of origin in census returns and birth/baptism records.
Additional Resources
The following GenGuide sources could assist in researching Immigration records:
Where Found
The National Archives (HO 2, Certificates of Arrival of Aliens; HO 3, Aliens Act 1836 records. For other sources and records held at TNA see the Research Guide: Immigration)
County Record Offices (Find the details of a local UK archive from a searchable list of over 2,500 archives hosted by The National Archives. Use the ‘Find an archive’ box to search for an archive)
Period Covered
1500 – Onwards
Genealogical Value
- Names, ages, addresses, occupations and family relationships.
- Country and place of origin.
- Port and date of arrival.
Further References
- Beidler, James M. Trace Your German Roots Online: Family Tree Books. 2016
- Dearden, Fay & Dearden, Dearden. The German Researcher: How To Get The Most Out Of An LDS Family History Center: Family Roots Publishing, 2007
- Grannum, Guy. Tracing Your Caribbean Ancestors: A & C Black, 2012
- Hoffman William F & Shea, Jonathan D. In Their Words, A Genealogist’s Translation Guide to Polish, German, Latin, and Russian Documents: Language and Lineage Press, 2017
- Kershaw, Roger & Pearsall, Mark. Immigrants And Aliens: A Guide to Sources On UK Immigration and Citizenship: PRO Publications, 2000
- Meitzler, Leland K. German Genealogy Research Online – Tips and Links: Family Roots Publishing, 2012
- Minert, Roger P. Deciphering Handwriting in German Documents: Analyzing German, Latin, and French in Vital Records Written in Germany: Family Roots Publishing, 2001
- Minert P., Roger & Riemer J., Shirley & Sirrine E., Susan. Researching in Germany: A Handbook for Your Visit to the Homeland of Your Ancestors: Lorelei Press, 2013
- Minert, Roger P. German Census Records, 1816-1916: The When, Where, and How of a Valuable Genealogical Resource: Family Roots Publishing, 2016
- Riemer, Shirley & Minert, Roger & Anderson, Jennifer. The German Research Companion: Lorelei Press, 2010
- Towey, Jenny. German Genealogical Dictionary: Useful Words for German Family History Research: Anglo German Family History Society, 2014
- Towey, Peter. How to Research Your German Ancestors: Anglo-German Family History Society Publications, 2013
A number of Place Name Indexes (with reverse alphabetical indexes) by Roger P. Minert covering Switzerland and Germany are available from Family Roots Publishing
Websites
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/immigration (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of Immigration and immigrants. This guide provides advice on how to locate records of immigrants to England and Britain from the 13th century onwards)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/naturalisation-british-citizenship (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of Naturalisation, registration and British citizenship. Use this guide if you are looking for records of how, when or if a person obtained British citizenship up to October 1986)
www.genuki.org.uk/big/Emigration (GENUKI: UK and Ireland: Emigration and Immigration. Links to sources relevant to immigration and emigration)
https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20131105215903/http://www.movinghere.org.uk//default.htm (Moving Here Web Archive: Histories of immigrant communities including Jewish, Caribbean, Irish and South Asian. Collections include digitised documents and photos with a section of Acts of Parliament dealing with Migration and Naturalisation)
www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/next_steps/adv_04_migrants_01.shtml (19th Century Immigration, By Else Churchill)
www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Aliens_and_Immigrants_in_England_and_Wales (FamilySearch Research Wiki; Aliens and Immigrants in England and Wales)
www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Collections-Research/Research/Your-Research/X20L/Themes/1386 (Museum of London Exploring 20th century London: Migration and Citizenship)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory (The National Archives. Black Presence: Asian and Black History in Britain, 1500-1850. People of African and Asian origin have lived in Britain for at least two thousand years. By presenting a selection of relevant records held by The National Archives and other sources, the Black Presence exhibition aims to reclaim some of this history and make it more widely known)
www.englandsimmigrants.com (England’s Immigrants 1330-1550: Resident Aliens in the Later Middle Ages: Research project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, exploring the extensive archival evidence about the names, origins, occupations and households of a significant number of foreigners who chose to make their lives and livelihoods in England in the era of the Hundred Years War, the Black Death and the Wars of the Roses. The sources used for the research are alien subsidies levied on resident aliens in England in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries and letters of protection and denization. The site also features county and individual studies)
www.portcities.org.uk/london (Port Communities: Online digitised collection resource of over 5000 items, brought to you by the National Maritime Museum and other museums, archives and libraries)
Geneanet
Censuses in France. Censuses in France are goldmines of information for family relationships. Learn about these useful documents for French genealogy.
www.genealogylinks.net/uk/index.html (Links to online genealogy records including passenger lists)
https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/archive-library/information-sheets (Lloyd’s Register Foundation: Information sheets: Useful sources for information on immigration and emigration. This information sheet offers a list of contact addresses for relevant institutions and suggested reading for genealogists and those interested in immigration and emigration)
www.redstarline.be/en (Red Star Line Museum. The museum tells the story of the historic transatlantic migration of millions of Europeans from Europe to North America on the shipping company Red Star Line and the transit port of Antwerp)
www.agfhs.com (Anglo-German Family History Society. The Society welcomes all those who are interested in researching the genealogy or family history of people from the German-speaking parts of Europe who have emigrated over the centuries and settled in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland)
www.anglo-italianfhs.org.uk (Anglo-Italian Family History Society)
www.myheritage.com (French Historical Records. Search over 500 million French records previously available exclusively on Filae. Datasets include birth, marriage and death records, census, military, and burial records covering centuries of French history and many French departments. The collections include a high-quality index of the transcribed records and digital images of the original documents)
https://en.filae.com (Online access to French digitized and indexed records. Resources include birth, marriage or death records, census returns, passenger lists, military records, naturalisation records and other historical archives. Users can build their own trees or import an existing tree)
Online Databases
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/aliens-registration-cards-1918-1957 (The National Archives Aliens Registration Cards: Aliens registration cards of those living in the London area from 1914 taken from series MEPO 35 covering some 1,000 foreign nationals)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/aliens-registration-cards.htm (Aliens’ registration cards 1918-1957: These records are the registration cards for over 600 immigrants to Britain, who arrived between 1918 and 1957. They cover the London area only and include British-born wives of aliens, who lost their British status upon marriage. These cards are drawn from The National Archives series MEPO 35)
www.ancestry.co.uk (England, Alien Arrivals, 1810-1811, 1826-1869; Lists of aliens, non-British citizens, arriving in England between 1810 and 1869 extracted from series FO 83/21-22, HO 2, HO 3 and CUST 102/393-396)
www.ancestry.co.uk (Aliens Entry Books, 1794-1921: Details of foreigners resident in the UK, 1794-1921containing browsable images from TNA series HO 5. The collection consists of correspondence and other documents of the Home Office and the Aliens Office from 1794 to 1921. The majority of the collection consists of out-letters relating to aliens and naturalisations. Includes some additional miscellaneous documents such as some registers of applications for denization)
www.englandsimmigrants.com (England’s Immigrants 1330-1550: The site has a fully-searchable database containing over 64,000 names of people known to have migrated to England during the period of the Hundred Years’ War and the Black Death, the Wars of the Roses)
www.sog.org.uk/search-records (SoG Data Online: Polish Refugee subsistence and genealogical data. Members of the Society of Genealogists are able to view these records for free via their existing membership. Non-members can carry out free surname searches but will need to join the society to view the full record details)
State Archives of Belgium
The sight highlights the genealogical sources available online for those researching family history in Belgium which include:
- Church Registers. The registers were established between 1610 and 1630. All church registers are available in digital format, grouped by province.
- Civil Status Registers. Registers began in 1797 when the state took over the recording of births, marriages, and deaths. Annual alphabetical indices are created and processed into ten-year tables which are available for research with many online.
www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com (Jamaican Family Search: Genealogy library for those researching family history for Jamaica, West Indies, especially for people born before 1920. The site contains transcriptions from various documents including nineteenth century Jamaica Almanacs, Jamaica Directories for 1878, 1891 and 1910, extractions from Jamaican Church records, Civil Registration, Wills, Jewish records, and excerpts from newspapers, books, and other documents. There is information on immigration and on slavery)
www.ancestry.co.uk (German Phone Directories, 1915-1981. This database contains telephone books covering the years 1915-1981 for five of Germany’s major cities: Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich)
www.meyersgaz.org (Meyers Gazetteer, Germany. The goal of the Meyer’s compilers was to list every place name in the German Empire between 1871 and 1918. Each place searched is linked to the gazetteer entry as well as showing modern and historic maps and Catholic and Protestant parishes and Synagogues in the area)
https://genteam.eu (GenTeam: Online access to a variety of databases covering present-day Austria and its neighbouring lands)
www.openarch.nl (Open Archives: Search the genealogical data of Dutch and Belgian archives. Find linked records and additional information about people and context from a number of Dutch and Belgium archives. Collections include: Baptism, marriage and burial registers; Civil births, marriages and deaths; Militia registers and population registers)
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