When was there mass immigration before into the UK?

Question

I see lots of misinformed answers like Britain always has had mass immigration.

From a factual point I cannot see one time in British history where there was mass immigration that was not an invasion. Most of the invasions where just of a ruling class.

So Romans = Invasion. Circa 40AD

Saxons = Invasion. Circa 400-800AD

Normans =- Invasion. 1066AD

Huguenots = Immigration of 50,000 with 10,000 of them going to Ireland. 1700s

Some Poles after WW2

So where is this mass immigration some people claim that Britain has always had?

Answer 1

Don`t forget

Celts = Invasion.Circa 1000b.c.No real record but I doubt they infiltrated the natives.

Vikings =Circa 800 AD

Jutes before the Saxons.

The Scottii and Hibernii invaded from Ireland.

Then in a more modern way Afro Carribeans in the 1950`s? Indians on the sawmills??

Answer 2

Britain was very invaded in the ancient times, but not in modern times

The last one was in 1066 by William, duke of Normandy

Regarding the mass immigrations perhaps the last was during , before, or after WWII.

Answer 3

I agree with your question. we have never had mass immigration of millions of backward people ever before  in the now UK

Romans = Invasion. Circa 40AD

Saxons = Invasion. Circa 400-800AD

Normans =- Invasion. 1066AD

These were highly organised technologically advanced people for their time. They were all ahead of the British of those days., in any case they used armies to get here which had technology ahead of the local population.

They were all European

The others were very few in numbers

The current waves of  immigrants are from backward countries who are 2000 years behind the UK in the case of Islamic migrants.

Answer 4

Its just an excuse the lefties use to promote their cause, the same as 'Immigrants are good for Britain' - how? they take more than they give and further strain our public services and jobs market.

Answer 5

Here are some immigrants from outside Europe now flooding in massive numbers   to the UK . These people are ideologically unsuited to be in Europe , this is due to a ideologically different culture going back 1000s of years

They are nothing like the sophisticated armies who came in previous centuries from other parts of EUROPE  not Asia.

Answer 6

Only a few thousands of years ago no one lived in Britain at all as it was covered in ICE about a mile thick!!  The earliest immigrants predated modern man.  Then modern man arrived (cave people to some).  Since then there were the Celts (who travelled from Siberia via Egypt, across North Africa, into Hispania and finally into Britannia.  (Google search the names guys)  Of course, the earliest immigrants were Neathandrals and then Modern man (cavemen).

Throughout the middle ages many people moved to Britain, then onwards.  Most didn’t come in armies but in small groups and families or one at a time.  So many of the peoples who ended up in America first came to Britain to travel on and many, many stayed on here.  There are tens of thousands of people in Yorkshire who carry a gene that only comes from a black Africa community.  Much of the slave trade transhipped through Liverpool.  There is large Armenian gene pool here as well, and many Armenians moved to the eastern mountains of the USA especially in Kentucky, Tennessee and areas to the south.  You know, those inbred mountain folk -  yes that’s them.. the Armenians!

It is really interesting how the new science of DNA is exploding all the old myths about a "pure Britain".  We are one of the more mongrelised races on the whole planet.  We are the end of the line for all those groups who were moving westwards until they hit the western most landmasses of Europe.

Of course, thats mainly been a really good thing.  It’s no accident that the “blended” migrant countries (you know USA, Australia, Canada and yes, Britain etc) have such economic advantage and developed such interesting societies)

And before the bigots start howling about overcrowding here are some more facts

87% of Britain is rural land.  The rest of us poor people are crowded in to just 13% of the country.   This is due to the history of the UK and the richer upper classes owning all of the land via feudal landowning.  The (poor & remaining rich) people are concentrated in to the remaining 13%).  You can change this by expanding land availability through various mechanisms.  Britain isn't crowded; it’s only the cities that are crowded.  Don't believe me?  

Take a drive around the UK through the rural areas and see how sparsely populated these are compared to the suburban areas of London, Birmingham, Liverpool Glasgow etc.  Go to Kent, Devon, Cornwall, Lancashire and so on.

Many, many more millions can (and will) live here.  Immigration has been unstoppable throughout history.  So how can Britain stop what couldn’t be stopped in most parts of the world throughout history?

Britain is an island with a narrow moat separating in from the European mainland.  Britain is part of the wider world and thinking we can stop immigration is emulating the ostrich and burying our head in sand when we get frightened.

However, I agree think that we do need to do more and better planning but that’s not ever been a British trait.  I think we will just keep muddling along – and complaining, complaining  (Whingers the Aussies call us)!  (and ..queuing, endlessly,... queuing!)

So, mass migration has been with us since the year dot.  Yes, there were less people but there were many less people on earth.  

Percentage wise it has pretty well been the same for thousands of years

Answer 7

Compared to modern times, these 'invasions' were fairly minor affairs, with quite limited numbers entering the country.

The immigration of the last fifty years has been on an enormous scale and has altered the whole makeup of the population. We are talking millions !

We used to try fighting off the invaders.

Now we pay them to come here and provide most of the things they need once they are here.

I won't see it - but it makes me wonder what it will be like in another fifty years.

Answer 8

Hmm, well there hasn't been mass immigration on the scale we now see it for nearly 1,000 years or more.  And as you rightly point out, those were "invasions" not immigration.

My mother remembers the asian and carribbean immigrants starting to arrive in the 50s and 60s and there was much curiosity and hostility about them - people who didn't live in large cities (like London) or docklands communities (where sailors of different races and nationalities could be found) had never experienced people of different races, religions or cultures.  They'd never heard Hindi or Urdu spoken.  My mum even remembers(as a small child) the curiosity in WWII when the American GIs arrived and some of them were black!  Noone in her town had ever seen a "real-life" black person before!  People would go up to them and stare in amazement!

I think the problem many people in the UK have with migration right now is not that they dislike people of different races/nationalities, its simply the sheer scale of it and the fact that it does have an impact of the livelihoods of those already living here.  It does create more competition for a fairly finite number of jobs (contrary to what proponents say, the arrival of migrants does not mean that more jobs are created).

The Government can make things better simply by controlling the flow of incomers and directing them to areas where they are truly needed.  For example, here in the South Wales valleys my local MP is head of a committee which invites Polish workers to the area - which is plagued with rampant unemployment and poverty and local families can't get decent jobs.  So why in God's name would they want to bring MORE people in to compete?  It causes problems.  Polish people have been attacked in the street and there is anger and resentment.  It amazes me that the politicians can't see this.

Migration is of benefit when the migrants are encouraged to go to areas where their labour is needed and when the Government makes sure that it is not using migrant labour instead of investing in its own people.  Sadly, this is not currently happening in the UK, hence the rise of extremists like the BNP, as "native" people become resentful and angry.

Its not the migrants' faults, I agree, blame lies entirely with the Government.

Answer 9

There has never been mass immigration into the UK untill New Labour took office.

Answer 10

Thats about it apart from some Jewish immigration in the late 1800's early 1900's.

The pro-immigration fanatics are either lying or deluded.