Welcome Stranger

The ‘Strangers’ was the name given in Norwich to the many incomers to the city from Europe (especially the Low Countries and northern France) in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. At one time they made up more than a quarter of the population, and they had a great effect on the city’s industry, trade and public life. The way in which the city and its residents coped with this massive influx is not just historically important, but has obvious relevance and parallels today. Many people today in Norwich and Norfolk, and well beyond, have ‘Stranger’ ancestors, and their influence is also apparent in the close links today between Norwich and the Netherlands.

This is the first book specifically about Norwich’s strangers. Frank Meeres is a very experienced author, whose previous books include the best-selling Strangers: A history of Norwich’s incomers (a shorter book with a much wider focus), A History of Norwich, and Guide to the Records of Norwich Cathedral. He had a long career at the Norfolk Records Office, and draws heavily on it for the c. 70 illustrations, many in colour, and most unique to this book.