Settlement

A place, typically but not exclusively one which has previously been uninhabited, where people establish a community. 

Britain enslaved 3.1 million Africans (2.7 million survived transportation to the colonies).

Created in 1600, the East India Company was formed for the exploitation of trade with east and south east Asia and India. It acted as an agent of British imperialism in India during the 1700s and 1800s. It ceased to exist as a legal entity in 1873.

Settlement

A place, typically but not exclusively one which has previously been uninhabited, where people establish a community.

Settlement

A place, typically but not exclusively one which has previously been uninhabited, where people establish a community.

Settlement

A place, typically but not exclusively one which has previously been uninhabited, where people establish a community.

Partition

In August 1947, British India gained its independence and split into two new states that would rule themselves. The new countries were India and Pakistan. East Pakistan has since become Bangladesh.

Involving 2.5 million colonial forces

Involving over 2.7 million colonial forces.

One of the largest waves of Irish migration to Britain came in the 19th century as many fled poverty, increasing rents and the Great Famine.

The 1861 census shows 600,000 people in England and Wales were Irish born.

Although most Irish migrants were seen as ‘unskilled’ workers they played an important role in a developing Britain, taking on some of the most grueling and undesirable jobs. Many Irish migrants worked as navvies, helping to build canals and railways.

In 1830, 42% of the British army was Irish.

Banner maker George Tutill established his business in east London to be close to the descendents of Huguenot silk weavers.

Huguenots were French Protestants living in Catholic majority France. They struggled to practice their religion. By 1685, Huguenots in France had to give up their faith, hide their religion or escape.

100,000 Huguenots fled to Britain and Ireland between 1685 and 1700. They are considered Britain’s first refugees.

Did you know… Seven of the 24 founders of the Bank of England were Huguenots.

Transportation was a form of criminal punishment that emerged in Britain in the early 1700s as an alternative to execution. Convicts would be transported on ships and taken initially to the American colonies and later to Australia.

Lascars were Indian seamen recruited by the East India Company.

Many were attracted by the promise of a regular wage, despite most being paid less than other crew.

Some settled in port cities around Britain where they stayed between jobs. Most lived in lodgings or barracks paid for by the East India Company. Living conditions in the barracks were poor and Lascars faced extreme hardship and discrimination.

Many found themselves having to beg on the streets just to survive.

It is estimated 130 Lascars died in Britain each year between 1790 and 1810.

At the end of the 19th century, more than 200,000 European Jews had arrived in the UK, seeking sanctuary from religious persecution.

These arrivals sparked the first attempt by the UK government to limit the ability of people to find sanctuary in the country. The 1905 Aliens Act was passed. It introduced immigration controls and registration for the first time, and gave the Home Secretary overall responsibility for immigration and nationality.

Many Jewish refugees built very successful businesses in Britain.

Sir Montague Burton, a Jewish refugee from Lithuania, was the founder of the shop Burtons. Michael Marks, a Jewish refugee from Belarus, arrived in Britain in the early 1880s. In 1894, he formed a retail partnership with Tom Spencer which is well recognised today – Marks & Spencer.

The forgotten seafarers

Many Black, Asian, Arab and Chinese seamen played an important role during World War I, in both the Royal and Merchant Navy.

After the war some of them settled in British ports like Liverpool, Glasgow and Cardiff where there were already small established communities.

In 1919, these ports saw some of the worst race riots in British history when angry white mobs targeted the new settlers. A large section of the mob were sailors and soldiers who had returned from the war to find themselves unemployed and blamed the migrant communities for the shortage of work. In September that same year, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) passed a resolution that ruled that preference should be given to white British sailors over British sailors of colour.

Further attempts to restrict the employment of migrant seamen came when the British government introduced the Coloured Alien Seamen Order in 1925 which aimed to limit the number of non white seamen entering the country.

Kindertransport was a scheme that rescued nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi persecution ahead of World War II. The Nazis persecuted Jewish people and millions of people were murdered.

Children under 17 from Germany, Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia which were under Nazi occupation could come to Britain temporarily for safety.

Some of the older children lived in hostels whilst younger children were sent to live with foster families. The government did not pay for the children to be looked after. Each child had to have a sponsor.

The ship Empire Windrush docks at the Port of Tilbury in Essex, England, with Caribbean settlers on board.

The Commonwealth of Nations is a political grouping of 54 member states, 52 of which are former territories or colonies of the British Empire. Members share the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law according to the Commonwealth Charter. King Charles III is the Head of the Commonwealth.

Refugees are among the most vulnerable people in the world. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) was established in 1950 and established the UN Refugee Convention in 1951 which sets international standards for refugee rights and resettlement work.

It defines the term ‘refugee’ and outlines individual rights and the legal obligations of nations and states to protect refugees.

The core principle is that refugees should not be returned to a country where they face a serious threat to their life or freedom. In the UK, a person becomes a refugee when the government agrees that an individual who has applied for asylum meets this definition.

Since 2005, most refugees are only given permission to stay in the UK for five years. This makes it difficult to make decisions about the future and to find work.

As the number of workers from commonwealth countries increased during the 1960s and 1970s, a series of high profile disputes exposed racism within the workplace and society.

The Courtaulds Red Scar Mill strike is often seen as the first ‘migrant’ strike. The dispute began in 1965, when around 900 Asian and West Indian workers went out on strike. They were particularly affected by a reorganisation of departments, which meant their workload would increase by 50% with only a minimal pay rise.

The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) refused to support the strikers. The media coverage and presence of international activist groups meant the strike was often characterised as being about radical racial politics rather than workers’ rights.

The lack of public and union support meant the strike was unsuccessful and ended after three weeks.

Unlike previous disputes involving Black and Asian workers, the Grunwick strike of 1976 received trade union support and workers from across Britain showed solidarity.

At its peak around 20,000 people joined the picket line. 

The strike continued for almost two years, but with no end in sight the unions withdrew support. 

Even though the strike was unsuccessful it transformed the role of Asian women in trade unions and in Britain.

•  Victoria Park, east London, 1978
• Alexandra Park, Manchester, 1978

The Nationality and Borders Bill was first debated in parliament in July 2021. Nine months later, in April 2022, the bill became law.  

The Nationality and Borders Act punishes people who are finding safety from war and persecution. It introduces a two tier system which judges a person seeking asylum on how they arrive in the UK, not why they are seeking sanctuary. This will see the UK turn its back on the 1951 Refugee Convention. 

PHM believes people seeking asylum from war and persecution should be welcomed and that everyone’s claim for asylum should be treated equally and fairly. That is why we have joined the fight back to get the anti-refugee laws repealed and continue to stand #TogetherWithRefugees. Find out more about the action PHM is taking.