The birth pains of the Great Yarmouth Stranger community

In 1570, Queen Elizabeth I issued letters patent for the settlement in Great Yarmouth of 30 individuals and their households from the Low Countries, many of whom were escaping religious persecution. This article analyses the early years of the Dutch Stranger community that was established in Yarmouth. It examines who these Strangers were, where they came from, why they left their homes, and what they did in Yarmouth. Furthermore, it analyses the reasons for tensions between the Strangers, local people, and the Yarmouth borough corporation; and examines the Strangers’ role in the early years of the Dutch Revolt.