| Date | Event | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1066 | Jewish communities arrive | Invited by William I; perform money-lending role |
| 1190 | Clifford's Tower massacre | ~150 Jews killed in York pogrom |
| 1290 | Edict of Expulsion | Edward I expels ~3,000 Jews; not readmitted until 1656 |
| 1337-47 | Flemish weavers recruited | Edward III; transforms cloth industry |
| 1685 | Huguenot refugees arrive | ~50,000 flee France; bring silk weaving, clockmaking |
| 1845-52 | Irish Famine migration | ~300,000 Irish arrive in Britain; 520,000 Irish-born by 1851 |
| 1880s-1914 | Eastern European Jews | ~150,000 flee pogroms; Aliens Act 1905 follows |
| 1948 | Empire Windrush | 492 Jamaicans; 500,000 Commonwealth migrants by 1962 |
| 1965/68/76 | Race Relations Acts | Progressive outlawing of racial discrimination |
| 2004 | EU enlargement | ~1 million Polish-born in UK by 2011 |
| 2016 | Brexit vote | 52-48 Leave; free movement ends 31 Dec 2020 |
- Push factors driving migration OUT: persecution (Jews, Huguenots), famine (Irish), poverty (Caribbean, South Asian), war (Somali, Bosnian, Afghan refugees)
- Pull factors drawing migrants IN: labour shortages (post-1945), legal right (BNA 1948, EU free movement), higher wages, family links (chain migration)
- NHS founding 1948: Could not have been built without Caribbean nurses and doctors from the first day
- Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech, April 1968: Warned of racial violence; he was dismissed from Edward Heath's shadow cabinet the same day
This key facts covers Key Evidence: Migrants to Britain Timeline within Migrants to Britain, c.1250-present for GCSE History. Revise Migrants to Britain, c.1250-present in Component Group 1 — Thematic Studies for GCSE History with 14 exam-style questions and 18 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 8 of 17 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Migrants to Britain, c.1250-present
Describe two features of migration to Britain in the medieval period.
Describe two features of Jewish communities in medieval England before 1290.
Quick recall flashcards
What is a pull factor in migration?
A reason that attracts people TO a specific country. Examples: labour demand (post-war NHS, London Transport), legal right to settle (British Nationality Act 1948), higher wages than home country, family and community networks (chain migration).
What is a push factor in migration?
A reason that forces or encourages people to LEAVE their home country. Examples: persecution (Jews in medieval England), famine (Ireland 1845-52), war (20th century asylum seekers), poverty (Caribbean and South Asian migrants post-1945).