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....

MPs of immigrant heritage are now prominent in the House of Commons, but this is not simply a recent development. Peter de Lannoy, who was elected in 1656 by inhabitants of the large and diverse borough of Southwark, was descended from Walloon refugees and baptised in a French-speaking church. A local dyer, engaged in a trade enriched by immigrants, he exemplifies both the gradual process of assimilation and a temporary widening of participation in Parliament in the mid-17th century ....