Writing Exile: the Huguenot refugees in 18th-century England

During the reign of Louis XIV, Protestants in France were subjected to harsh treatment on account of their religious beliefs. The dragonnades policy, instigated in 1681, saw Protestant families forced to provide bed and board to government soldiers who were encouraged to intimidate their hosts. In 1685, the king issued the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the previously-established right to freedom from religious persecution. The difficulties faced by French Protestants during this period led many to seek a better life in lands perceived to be more tolerant: families fled to Switzerland, to the Low Countries, to Germany, and to Great Britain and Ireland. These French adherents of the Protestant faith - often known as 'Huguenots', though the etymological origins of that term are uncertain - are often considered to have been a 'successful' refugee group. Known for their involvement in silk-weaving and lace-making ventures, much scholarly endeavour has been devoted to exploring the economic impact of these exiles on Early Modern Europe.

My doctoral project will explore Huguenot writings in the form of 'ego-documents' held by the Hampshire Record Office in Winchester. Personal letters, diaries, and testimonies will be examined in an analysis informed by literary theory paradigms of hermeneutics and stylistics in order to further our understanding of how Huguenot refugees fashioned their identities in their adopted countries. My research seeks to ask how linguistic and cultural barriers impacted the daily life of those who settled in Hampshire, how nostalgia for one's home country was expressed in personal writings, and how exiles reflected on their individual journeys of integration and adaptation. Particular attention will be paid to how documents discursively portray in-group and out-group identities, and to ways in which discursive practices of 'Othering' are applied to English customs and characters with whom refugees come into contact. It is hoped that this exploration of the 'lived experience' of migration will contribute to the existing literature on Huguenot commercial success, but also to our appreciation of cultural identity and assimilation as they affect lives today.

As my doctoral research takes the form of a Collaborative Doctoral Award, co-supervised at both the University of Oxford and at the Hampshire Record Office, I will be contributing to the outreach work of the Record Office in addition to carrying out archival research. I will participate in talks and information events held to enhance awareness of local heritage and history in the community in Winchester. I will also update the Record Office blog with information on my findings and with observations on its holdings. Through sharing the salient themes unearthed in my analysis of the Huguenot ego-documents with the public, it is envisaged that this research will help to inform how we categorize migrant struggles and concerns and how best to accommodate these.