My Bay Ancestors

De Bays, French Refugees

 

The De Bay family originated from Picardy in the area around Saint Quentin.    They were protestants (Huguenots) who fled France due to religious persecution.   As far as I can tell: -

• My 9th Great Grandfather, Isaac fled to Germany by 1699. 

• My 8th Great Grandfather, also called Isaac fled to the Netherlands around 1690.    

• By 1721 my 7th Great Grandfather, Louis, fled to England and settled in Bethnal Green, London.   

 

The Reformation

The impact of the Protestant Reformation was felt throughout Europe in the early 16th Century. Its greatest protagonists were Martin Luther and Jean Calvin. In France Calvinism penetrated all ranks of society, especially those of the literate craftsmen in the towns and of the nobility.

 

Religious Wars and Persecution

There were eight civil wars in France between 1562 and 1598 - the Wars of Religion.   In 1589 Henri IV issued the Edict of Nantes which ended the Wars of Religion, and allowed the Huguenots some religious freedoms, including free exercise of their religion in 20 specified towns of France.  However, their position became increasingly insecure over time and gradually the Huguenots' privileges were eroded.

 

In the 1680s Protestants in certain parts of France were deliberately terrorised by the billeting of unruly troops in Protestant households.  They were known as 'Dragonnades' and they bullied the family and took (or ate!) everything they had, thus making the family's lives a misery in order to force them to convert (see picture above).  

 

Finally, in 1685 Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, in an attempt to return France to 100% Catholicism.   He exiled all Protestant pastors and at the same time forbade the laity to leave France. Protestants were forbidden to enter many professions, such as law or medicine, and could not become a midwife, or engage in the printing or selling of books.  Hundreds of thousands of Huguenots fled France to other countries, often taking great risks.  Men who were caught, if not executed, were sent as galley slaves to the French fleet in the Mediterranean. Women were imprisoned and their children sent to convents.

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The Refugees

In 1681, Charles II of England offered sanctuary to the Huguenots, and from 1670 to 1710, between 40,000 and 50,000 Huguenots sought refuge in England. Around half of these moved to London - many settling in Spitalfields.  Similarly, Germany welcomed the refugees.  Frederic-William, the prince-elector of Brandenburg, published the Edict of Potsdam in 1685 granting French refugees passports, transport to Brandenburg, freedom to choose the settlement place, freedom of worship, tax exemptions, option to occupy vacant housing or build new houses with some help, equal rights as the natives and naturalisation without any requirement to integrate immediately.

 

Huguenot Craftsmen

Since the Huguenots of France were in large part artisans and professional people, they were usually well-received in the countries to which they fled. Their character and talents in the arts, sciences, and industry were such that they are generally felt to have been a substantial loss to the French society and a corresponding gain to the nations into which they settled.  The De Bays brought skills in silk weaving.  They settled in Bethnal Green and Spitalfields.  The Huguenots had a huge impact on Spitalfields; there had always been a silk industry of sorts in the area, but with the diligence and skills of the Huguenots this industry thrived, and Spitalfields became 'weaver town'.

Integrating
At first the Huguenots kept their own distinct identity, speaking in French and defending their religious congregations. The Huguenot churches were a connecting thread within the community, providing welfare to the poor and support to new arrivals. Over time, however, the Huguenots assimilated into English society. There was a drift towards the Anglican Church, and names were anglicized - Jean became John and De Bay became Bay.  With time the silk industry began to decline, and the Huguenots started to move out of the city.  My 4th Great Grandfather, Abraham, left London to live in Macclesfield around 1808.

 

To find out more about Spitalfields and Bethnal Green click here.

To find out more about the silk industry click here.