It is June 1948. The Empire Windrush steams into Tilbury Docks carrying 492 passengers from Jamaica. They have British passports. They have answered Britain's call for workers. The new National Health Service desperately needs nurses. London Transport needs bus drivers. They are British subjects in every legal sense. And yet a question mark hangs over the welcome. Jump back seven hundred years: Edward I expels every Jewish man, woman, and child from England in 1290 — roughly 3,000 people, some whose families had lived here for two centuries. Jump forward again to 2004: a million Polish workers arrive in a single decade, filling jobs no one else will take. The story of Britain is, in large part, the story of migration. The faces change; the reasons — economic need, persecution, opportunity, desperation — are strikingly constant.
This introduction covers They All Called Britain Home 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 1 of 17 in this topic. Use this introduction 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 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).
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).