Huguenot families Naturalized in Great Britain and Ireland (A-K)

TABLE III.

This Table contains the names of Huguenot families Naturalized[69] in Great Britain and Ireland; commencing A.D., 1681, in the reign of King Charles II., and ending in 1712, in the reign of Queen Anne. But in the reign of William and Mary, the largest number of foreign refugees were Naturalized in these countries, from 1689 to the 3rd July, 1701. In Queen Anne’s reign we do not find any long lists of “Naturalized Foreign Protestants;” because, during the prosecution by England of the war with France, they were recognised as British subjects. At length, however, on the 23rd March, 1709, an Act was passed for their Naturalization; but on the 9th of February, 1712, that Act was repealed.

In England the refugee might obtain his Naturalization Certificate, on taking the oaths prescribed for that purpose, in the Court of Queen’s Bench, or in the Court of Common Pleas, or in the Court of Exchequer; but in Ireland, on taking the prescribed oaths before the Lord Chancellor, the refugee immediately obtained his Certificate of Naturalization.[70]

So far as we have yet ascertained, the following are the names of the refugee families which were Naturalized in Great Britain and Ireland:

Notes

[69] Naturalized: It should be observed that the date of the Naturalization of a Huguenot refugee is not necessarily the same, or even almost the same, as the date of his arrival on British soil.

[70] Naturalization: For the dates of the Naturalization of other Huguenot families in Great Britain, in the reign of Charles II., see Agnew’s Huguenots.

[71] Carré: Of this family, which belonged to Poitou, several members emigrated to England and others to North America. In Ireland the name was changed to Carry and Carrey.

[72] Chaigneau: Louis, John, and Stephen Chaigneau were refugees from St. Sairenne, in the Charente, where the family owned landed estates; they settled in Dublin and prospered. Louis sat for Gowran in the Irish Parliament; another held a benefice in the church. John had two sons—Colonel William Chaigneau, and John who was Treasurer of the Ordnance. The great-grandson of Stephen was called to the Irish bar in 1793, and eventually purchased the estate of Berown, in the county Westmeath.

[73] Collot: Collot de L’Escury, a refugee officer from Noyon, who escaped from France at the Revooation, and joined in Holland the army of William of Orange, was Major in Schomberg’s regiment at the Boyne. His eldest son David was a Captain of Dragoons; another, Simeon, was Colonel of an English regiment; both of their sons were Captains of Foot. Their descendants still survive in Ireland.

[74] Cousin: This name is now rendered Cussen.

[75] De la Cour: The first of this family that came to Ireland settled in the neighbourhood of Portarlington, whence his descendants afterwards removed to the county Cork.

[76] De la Reve: De la Reve or De la Rive settled in Ireland. This refugee escaped with his wife across the French frontier into Holland, in the guise of orange-sellers, leading a donkey and panniers. On reaching Holland, the Prince of Orange gave him a commission in his troops, and he acquitted himself bravely in the Irish campaigns. He afterwards became agent to Sir C. Wandesforde at Castle Corner, where he died, and his tombstone is to be seen in the churchyard of that place. Reeves is another form of this family name.

[77] Du Port: A family of Poitou, several members of which took refuge in England. In Ireland the name has been changed to Porte.

[78] Fleury: Louis Fleury, Protestant Pastor of Tours, fled into England in 1683; his son, Philip Amuret, came to Ireland as a Protestant and settled there. The son of Philip Amuret became Vicar-General of Lismore; and his son George Lewis Fleury became Archdeacon of Waterford.

[79] Hamon: An ancient Norman family. Two brothers Hamon, who settled at Portarlington in Ireland, were of that family. There are Hamons still in Ireland, though the name has in some cases been changed to Hammond.

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