Flemish weavers are perhaps the most famous example. In the 12th and 13th centuries, English kings actively encouraged them to migrate, granting privileges to help establish cloth-making industries. England produced vast quantities of wool, but initially much of it was exported raw to Flanders. By settling Flemish weavers in English towns, the monarchy and local lords sought to add value by producing fine cloth domestically.
These migrants settled in places like Colchester, Norwich, and later parts of Yorkshire and East Anglia. They brought advanced techniques in dyeing and weaving, and helped turn English towns into centers of textile production.
Similarly, Lombard bankers (from northern Italy) came to London by the 13th century, running financial operations that underpinned royal borrowing. German merchants from the Hanseatic League established a base at the Steelyard in London, linking England into Baltic and North Sea trade.
Migrants as part of war and conquest
Medieval warfare also brought new groups to England. During the reign of Henry II and his sons, armies often included mercenaries from Aquitaine, Poitou, Brabant, and beyond. Soldiers might stay on as settlers, marry locally, or become part of baronial retinues.
Under Edward I and Edward III, military campaigns required foreign specialists — engineers, crossbowmen, even cooks and masons who could build siege engines. The Hundred Years’ War, ironically, encouraged not only English migration to France but also brought Gascon and Breton allies back to England. shutdown123