Hugenot history

[janalangreen]

My mother, Doris Rose Warman, was born in Canterbury in 1908. She claimed that her ancestors were Huguenot immigrants to Kent in the 17th century but I have never been able to verify this. Can anybody point me to records that might help, please?

[stanmapstone]

You could contact the Huguenot Society http://www.huguenotsociety.org.uk/family/

Stan

[coombs]

Hi Jan

How far have you got back on your mothers side, or are you just starting? May be a good idea to build on her ancestry. If you know her parents names, maybe we could help you on here. Then we can help you get back to the 1700s.

Coombs

[Billyblue]

Have you verified the surnames of said ancestors?
Most Huguenots settled (in UK) in places like Soho / Spitalfields / East End generally.
There is a Huguenot 'Hospital' in Rochester in Kent.  Maybe they worked there, though not sure that it was there in the 17th Century.
As Stan says, the Huguenot Society is your best bet to establish whether their surname and the area they came from, is Huguenot.

Dawn M

[stanmapstone]

Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a Huguenot surname.
Warman is a English occupational name for a merchant or trader from the Middle English ware wares, articles of trade. The name can also be from the Old English personal name Wærmund. "The Oxford Names Companion"

Stan

[Billyblue]

Well Stan, I'm sure the Huguenot Society would not agree with your statement.

Dawn M

[bearkat]

There was certainly a Huguenot community in Canterbury.

You mother's Huguenot ancestry could be on her mother's side, so nothing to do with the surname WARMAN.

http://www.frenchchurchcanterbury.org.uk/history/index.html

Start with what you know, work backwards using the census and free sites like freeBMD.  You might have to buy a few certificates on the way and Rootschatters might be able to help - just ask.

Canterbury Cathedral Archives holds records for the Walloon Community in Canterbury and the Huguenot Society have produced a CD (5B) of the records.

http://www.huguenotsociety.org.uk/publications/cdrom.html

[stanmapstone]

Well Stan, I'm sure the Huguenot Society would not agree with your statement.

Dawn M

Dawn I should have made clear that the statement Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a Huguenot surname. comes from the Huguenot Society publication FAQs for family historians http://www.huguenotsociety.org.uk/uploads/docs/FAQs%20for%20family%20historians.pdf
2. I have been told my surname is Huguenot. How can I find out? Is there a list of names?

Stan

[smudwhisk]

While the Huguenot Society have indeed issued CDs of transcripts of both the Huguenot and Walloon Church records, the originals pre 1837 are held at the National Archives and as such have been digitised and made available online. They are definitely available on Ancestry and TheGenealogist, as well as the pay per view site BMDRegisters.

The Huguenot Hospital was originally in London and administered by the French church in Soho, their church records appear on ancestry as the church of the French Hospital (or words to that effect).

DawnM I think you would find the Huguenot Society would say Stan was technically correct that there is no such thing as a Huguenot surname, but some surnames do occur more amongst the French protestant communities more than others, but they also appear in catholic families too. Then again, some of those surnames also appear in England early on in families with no known French connections. The surname Lucas or Luckas is one such example. Similarly not all French surnames in Britain have French protestant roots either.

Adding Stan's post overlapped me writing mine re surnames