The Huguenots

Tomorrow marks the 415th anniversary of the signing of the Edict of Nantes, [13th April 1598]. This decree by Henry IV of France served as a guarantee to the Protestant Huguenots that their rights to worship would be respected.  It granted them full civil rights and established a special court, the Chambre de l’Édit, composed of both Protestants and Catholics, to deal with disputes arising from the edict. Protestant pastors were to be paid by the state and released from certain obligations; finally, the Protestants could keep the places they were still holding in August 1597 as strongholds, or places de sûreté, for eight years, the expenses of garrisoning them being met by the king. (source)

However, it was revoked by Louis XIV in 1685 with the result that large numbers of French protestants fled to England to escape persecution. Over twenty thousand (out of an estimated 200,000 who fled France) of these religious refugees settled in Spitalfields, London.

This weekend in London there are a number of events to celebrate the contribution made to British life (and the silk-spinners who worked in Spitalfields, in particular). More details are available from Time Out.

Further information about the Huguenots can be found on the Huguenot Society's website.

Southampton

On Easter Sunday we headed down to Southampton for a couple of days relaxation before heading to Sheffield and then to Ipswich. We got home last Saturday.

Southampton is a fascinating place for anyone with an interest in history (we also had some good meals there!). The walls that were built in the medieval period can still be seen, and - especially on a quiet Sunday and bank holiday - it's easy to picture the original city. Our hotel was just outside the Westgate (in the sea, then but happily not now).

As the plaque shows it was from there that Henry V and his troops set off for France [and the battle we know of as 'Agincourt' - there's a useful site here about the battle and the museum], and from which the Pilgrim Fathers set off for America. They only got as far as the west of the British Isles before having to return to Plymouth. Finally the Mayflower sailed from there across the Atlantic.

Previous Washminster posts on the Pilgrim Fathers can be found at http://washminster.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/arrival.html
http://washminster.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/thanksgiving-day-2009.html
http://washminster.blogspot.co.uk/2007/09/washminster-returns.html
and http://washminster.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/john-milton.html

We also visited the SeaCity museum, which was excellent - lots on the people who came from; left from and lived in Southampton. There were two excellent exhibitions about the Titanic (one on the ship itself and its sinking; the other on the 'myth' of the Titanic). well worth a visit - particularly if it is a cold and/or wet day.

Further information about visiting Southampton is available here and here.