Why "The Weavers"?

During the 16th and 17th Centuries there were numerous religious wars fought in Europe and persecution against many non-catholic sects was rife. When Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne and the Country returned to the Protestant religion previously established by Henry VIII but interrupted by "Bloody Mary", Walloons who had fled the Low Countries and Huguenots from France started to settle in Canterbury. It is understood that 100 families settled in the City during the time of Elizabeth I and with them they brought their looms and the weaving trade. This started to assist Canterbury to become a centre for trade and wealth that it had lost when Henry dissolved the monasteries and removed the tomb of St. Thomas.

Originally, the Huguenot community was allowed to worship in St. Alphege Church in Palace Street but still during the reign of Elizabeth I were given space in the Crypt of the Cathedral and their Chapel remains there to this day. Following the revocation of the Treaty of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots flocked to Canterbury and other areas in Kent, (Tenterden and the surrounding area was also well known for its Huguenot community), and soon Canterbury was clanking to the sound of over 2,000 looms.

The cloths that were produced in Canterbury were of silk, cotton and wool. However, there were other large groups of Walloons and Huguenots that had settled in other parts of England, principally from records I have seen, in London and Gloucestershire. By the end of the eighteenth century the majority of silk weaving had moved to the Spitalfields area of London and the weaving of other cloths declined as printed fabrics became available. The Huguenots that remained in the Canterbury area were gradually assimilated over the years and the weaving trade died out. However, we are left with the pleasant reminders of that prosperous era when we walk past "The Weavers". This is not the only reminder because many of the surnames of the other children I went to school with were also of French or European extraction.

Fortunately for Canterbury, as the weaving industry declined, another sought after commodity started to push the economy of the area, namely hops for beer making. But that's yet another story......

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