Tagged : military history

Huguenot settlers in America, 1564 – 1784

10 Jul, 2024 by Huguenot Society
After a brief overview of Huguenot involvement in the colonisation of America, we examine the fascinating case of Jean Henry De Bérenger, a plantation owner who lost his inheritance as a consequence of the American War of Independence, 1775-83. Drafts of the petitions he sent in an effort to redress his loss were found within the Huguenot Library's collection of family papers, which are being gradually catalogued at item level by the Librarian, a painstaking but worthwhile exercise....

Huguenot heritage on the Island of Guernsey

05 Jan, 2023 by Huguenot Society
The Huguenot Society's visit to Guernsey in the summer of 2022 has resulted in this richly illustrated blog by Activities Chairman Tony Wilson, showing the Island's Huguenot Heritage through the many memorials in St Peter Port church and elsewhere....

The renovation of Mount Nod burial ground, East Hill, Wandsworth

18 Oct, 2022 by Huguenot Society
It was with great interest that the Huguenot Society learned earlier this year of the reopening of the East Hill burial ground in Wandsworth, after its successful renovation. A pilgrimage to this unique Huguenot place of memory is highly recommended....

Relief for ‘Poor Protestants’: Public Appeals for Refugees before 1685

03 Sep, 2021 by Huguenot Society
Well before the setting up of various relief funds to assist Huguenot refugees fleeing France in the 1680s, English parishioners were being exhorted to contribute towards Church appeals in favour of groups of persecuted Protestants abroad, notably the Waldensians. This proto-Protestant community, driven into the Italian Piedmont valleys by Louis XIV's cousin, the Duke of Savoy, suffered a cruel martyrdom, but their cause was championed by England's Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell....

The Huguenot settlement at Portarlington, Ireland

23 Jun, 2021 by Huguenot Society
In 2010 the Huguenot Society organised a visit to Portarlington for its members during the conference at Londonderry. Here we look at the history of the town's foundation by Henri de Ruvigny, Earl of Galway as a settlement for war-weary Huguenot veterans and their families, and consider the political repercussions of this undertaking....

Strangers in the House: immigrant business in Parliament in the mid-17th century

17 Oct, 2020 by Huguenot Society
Following a previous blog on a mid-seventeenth century Southwark MP of immigrant stock, we look at how Protestant 'strangers' were viewed in Parliament during that period. While some incomers could be perceived as a threat to vested interests or to the peace of the realm, others might be welcomed and given assistance. The parliamentary Journals yield a variety of interesting insights....

Élie Bouhéreau's rich and varied life: a triumph over adversity

16 Jul, 2020 by Huguenot Society
After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenot refugee Élie Bouhéreau from La Rochelle led a life of unsettled exile, including travel on the Continent as secretary to British diplomats for nearly a decade, before putting down roots in Dublin, Ireland. His career too, was manifold: a medical doctor, tutor, administrator, clergyman and librarian, he was also a committed husband and father ....