Immigrants to London circa 1730-1763

[e_m]

I am trying to find information on two men who (working theory, anyway) came to London from France between 1730 and 1763. By 1756 one of them married in London, and in 1763 both moved to Philadelphia. The marriage license (St. Martins in the Fields) is the only proof I have that they were in London ever. I believe they were Catholic, at least, they were active members of the Catholic church here, although the marriage license is a civil one.

I read this guide and found it mystifying: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/immigration/

...and I searched the website https://www.londonlives.org and got nothing.

They were highly skilled carvers and gilders, so I thought they needed to register somehow in order to practice their trade in the country. But I don't know where to look. There is absolutely zero information on this side of the pond (America) as to their origins.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[avm228]

It's hard to help on such a very general question. Are you only looking for trade records, or other records?

It will be easier for Rootschatters to try to help you with more information, e.g.:

The names of the two men.
The relationship - are they thought to be related? Same generation or different?
What evidence is there for French origins?  Is there an indication of where in France?
What is the source & relevance of the 1730 date?
More on the 1756 marriage - you mention a marriage licence but do you have the marriage record itself?  Did it take place at St Martin in the Fields?  This would have been a Church of England marriage - there was no civil marriage in England at the relevant time.  Catholic marriages were not recognised at the time, so it is normal to find Catholics marrying in C of E churches.
Are there records anywhere indicating their respective ages?  Do you know when & where they died?

[e_m]

Yes, I have the marriage license, so OK, a C of E in St. Martins in the Fields. They were business partners of similar age, although I wouldn't be surprised if they were related somehow. Or maybe not. They died in Philadelphia and I have their burial information, but none of the information has their ages.  The 1730 date is based on the earliest birth year, assuming that the 1756 marriage was in the (later) prime of life. The guy who married subsequently had 4 children whose dates I found in an old bible record, but nowhere can I find their places of birth. The Catholic Church in the Parish tells me their records are in the process of being digitized so at some point I can search them on ancestry, but not yet. The Catholic Church records in America for that era were lost long ago.

I think they were French based on the French spelling of the first name on the marriage license; the surname of the second guy; the fact they were listed occasionally as "Mons." in American records; and the fact that the guy with the French-ish surname's nephew was absolutely born in France (I have his naturalization papers in Philadelphia.) Unfortunately, I have no idea where in France they originated.

I am looking for any records I can get. And yes, I am being obtuse about their names, for a reason I would like to keep secret for now. If you have any recommendations, I would be appreciative.

The only idea that I haven't followed up on yet is to check the Kent's London Directories from the era, which I won't be able to do until next week.

EDIT: Some of the livery companies' membership records are online and I was able to search them, but they weren't there. It is no guarantee that they were members of a guild, much less one relating to carving or gilding, and the few guilds I contacted separately were unable to help unless I provided them with more information.

[smudwhisk]

They would only have needed to have been members of a Livery Company if they worked in the so-called square mile City of London.  If they worked in Westminster or other parts of what is now referred to as London (previously Middlesex or Surrey) there would have been no requirement as the Livery Companies had no influence in those areas.