Historical immigration to Great Britain

rdf:langString Historical immigration to Great Britain

rdf:langString The historical immigration to Great Britain concerns the movement of people, cultural and ethnic groups to the British Isles before Irish independence in 1922. Immigration after Irish independence is dealt with by the article Immigration to the United Kingdom since Irish independence. Modern humans first arrived in Great Britain during the Palaeolithic era, but until the invasion of the Romans (1st century BC) there was no historical record. With the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, large numbers of Germanic speakers from the continent migrated to the southern parts of the island, becoming known as the Anglo-Saxons and eventually forming England. Beginning at the end of the eighth century, bands of Vikings began to invade and subsequently settle. In 1066, the Normans successfully took control of England and, in subsequent years, there was some small-scale migration from France. Other European migrants included Flemings and French Huguenots. In the 19th century, immigration by people outside Europe began with arrivals from the British colonies. The overall foreign born population of Britain being 0.6% in 1851, 1.5% in 1901, many coming from Eastern Europe and Russia. DNA studies have been used to provide a direct record of the effects of immigration on the population.