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OABallingen uit de Lage Landen in Norwich
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: Internationale Neerlandistiek, Volume 63, Issue 3, Nov 2025, p. 211 - 229
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- 01 Nov 2025
Abstract
Recently, the subject of migration has been in the news quite regularly. However, migration has always been with us. In that respect, the early modern period is no exception. It is estimated that during this period, a third of the population of Europe moved within or across ‘national’ borders. This contribution examines migration from the Southern Netherlands, and especially from Flanders, to the English city of Norwich in the second half of the sixteenth century. Using the available sources, this article focuses on the stories of people from different backgrounds in the Flemish exile community in Norwich, which was founded in 1565. It focuses on the reasons for their departure from the Low Countries to Norwich, the challenges they faced in their new home city, the way they earned their living, and how they contributed to the economic growth of Norwich. Among the migrants whose stories I discuss are merchants such as Tobias de Hem and John Cruso, the ministers Johannes Elison and Hermannus Moded, the notary Jan Ruytinck, and the future translator, Vincentius Meusevoet. Unfortunately, less information is available about women in the exile community, mainly because the leaders of the community and the exile church were all men. Nevertheless, I will provide some brief sketches of the lives of several women, mainly using private letters, wills, and the minutes of the sessions of the Politic Men who acted as magistrates in the exile community. In short, these stories offer us insights into the challenges and opportunities for Dutch-speaking exiles in early modern Norwich and into their impact on the economy and society of their new home city.
