For Refugee Week 2019, David Stannard has looked at the impact of immigrants from Europe to the east coast of Norfolk and their links with the local textile industry.
The East Norfolk Textile Industry
The wider historical record makes it clear that the medieval weaving and textile industry was of great importance to the economy of east Norfolk, albeit there were fluctuations in the success of the industry, often due to competition from near neighbours in the Netherlands. One response to these economic downturns, particularly during the reign of Edward III and his consort Phillipa of Hainault, saw Flemish weavers and their families encouraged to come to Norfolk with new ideas and working practices as a means to revive the local industry. Similar activity took place during Tudor times with further waves of immigrants from the near Continent coming to east Norfolk, with the wills of the parishioners of Hempstead and Eccles at this time revealing how textiles were an important aspect of their everyday lives, and their celestial futures.
