The flight of French Protestants, or Huguenots as they were generally known, to England and Ireland occurred in four waves that spanned three centuries and coincide with significant episodes of religious persecution. This revealing manuscript illuminates their plight and traces their resettlement in Ireland through the major family names of immigrants who sought refuge from the religious wars in France. Each chapter is devoted to a regional colony and includes detailed information about the prominent Huguenot families who resided in each locale and their part in trades like weaving and glassmaking that made their presence a cultural and economic boon to the area. How likely would it be for a descendant of the Carré family to find his ancestors in Cork, or a Fleury his roots in Wexford, or in Dublin the descendants of families with surnames like de Beaulieu, La Pierre, Chabrier and their derivatives? How many family hunters seeking ancestors in France should be looking near Belfast, Portarlington, and Waterford? "It is true", writes the author, "that by intermarriage with the Anglo-Irish population, and the Anglicization of the French names, the settlements grew indistinct, and little now remains to mark them save a few graves scattered throughout the country…but many Huguenot names still exist in Ireland and no survey of the Irish Church and State can be complete without a mention of those refuges who played such a large part in their history." It is also true that anyone interested in Irish history or French heritage would benefit from the wealth of knowledge about both subjects entwined in this informative history.
Grace Lawless Lee
(1936), 2008, 5.5" x 8.5", paper, index, 294 pp.
ISBN: 9780788420054
101-L2005
