Hugenot history

[coombs]

Looked her up on 1911, parents Frank and Emma, both born Canterbury. A tree on Anc says her name was Emma Elizabeth Brazer, her maiden name but a Frank Warman wed in 1907 in Canterbury and on the same page was Emma Elizabeth Ellinor.

A Charles Ernest Ellinor wed Emma Elizabeth Brazier in 1900 in Canterbury. Brazier sounds French, no doubt either Norman or Huguenot.

[stanmapstone]

The death of Charles Ernest Ellenor age 27 was registered Mar 1906 ¼ Blean, Kent.

Stan

[stanmapstone]

A Charles Ernest Ellinor wed Emma Elizabeth Brazier in 1900 in Canterbury. Brazier sounds French, no doubt either Norman or Huguenot.

According to  "The Oxford Names Companion" Brasier, Brazier, are variations of Brasher, which is either an English occupational name of Norman origin for a Brewer, from the Old French brasser, to brew, or an occupational name for a worker in brass, from the Old English bręsian to cast in brass.

[coombs]

Emma Brazier's dad was Frederick born in Lower Hardres, Kent in 1850, his father was Henry born in Elmstead, Kent, c1802, about 12 miles south of Canterbury. You would have to go back about 100 years to see any Huguenot connection if there is one, but as Stan said, Brazier is an old Norman occupational name for brewer.

Seems Frederick Warman was illegitimate, the son of Mary Williamson Warman.

I have Huguenot ancestors myself but mine were from London, I have heard of Huguenots in Canterbury and Norwich but I think they were minor in comparison to London.

[smudwhisk]

There was quite a large community of French Protestants in Canterbury, and in fact the church still exists today and uses the crypt within Canterbury Cathedral.  It was a Walloon church rather than Huguenot.  The difference being that Walloons were French speaking protestants from what is was the area of the Spanish Netherlands, now Belgium, but also included originally parts of northern France in areas such as Piccardy which prior to the late 1600s were part of the Spanish Netherlands. 

I have protestant ancestors from that region and some of the surnames suggest they were probably from the Flemmish areas rather than French part, albeit by the time my ancestor emigrated it was part of France.

That said, you do find French Huguenots using the Walloon church in Canterbury and some using the Huguenot churches in London.

[janalangreen]

Thanks to everybody for your prompt and interesting responses. You have probably gathered that I am new to this genealogy game (and managed to misspell Huguenot in the subject line!) but I am pretty much up to speed on my mother's parents. Emma Brazier was the only one of my grandparents who was alive when I was born (1941) and I know her immediate background quite well. She died in 1952 having married, firstly, Charles Ellenor (2 sons, Jack and Fred) and secondly, Frank Warman (1 daughter, my Mum). I have gone back a couple of generations on the Brazier line but the Warman side is proving a bit more difficult. I think (?) I have established that Frank Warman was born in the Blean Union Workhouse which was situated in the village of Herne where, coincidentally, I now live. But going onward from there has, so far, been beyond me - certainly with Christmas looming ominously ahead of me. I will take up the very helpful suggestion that I contact the Huguenot Society (not knowing previously that they existed) in the hope of their being able to suggest which is the more likely surname to pursue in the first instance. In he meantime, I wish you all a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[coombs]

Often you hear family rumour of foreign blood in the family and it has to be verified by the person doing genealogy before it can be proved.

[Ruskie]

Often you hear family rumour of foreign blood in the family and it has to be verified by the person doing genealogy before it can be proved.

Very true. Or the rumour could relate a completely different branch altogether.