Listers -- Here's some historical background I thought would be of interest. It's from the book by P.H. Reaney "A Dictionary of British Surnames" (excerpts from pgs. 196-200) under the heading Influence of the Reformation on British Surnames. "The great and wide-spread movement in the Western church, by which the religion was changed from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism, commenced in the fifteenth century, gathering strength in the early sixteenth, too late to have any direct effect in moulding surnames, although it greatly influenced the nature of our christian names. Indirectly, however, religious persecution, by driving foreigners to seek sanctuary in this country, was the cause of the introduction of a number of new surnames, a good proportion of which were preserved, although often corrupted into anglicized versions. By the Act of Richard III (1483-4) aliens had been disbarred from employing any but native assistants in their occupations, which disability led to the foreign tradesmen establishing themselves in various liberties, as St. Martin's le Grand, Blackfriars, the Savoy, Southwark, St. Katherine's, Westminster, and other privileged places, where the officers of the crown and of the Mayor and Corporation could not disturb them (Footnote: Letters of Denization, Hug. Soc. publication, vol. 8). Due to encouragement given by Henry VII (1485-1509), and an appreciation of art and learning displayed by the Tudor Court, great numbers of foreigners, distinguished persons as well as tradesmen, settled not only in London, but also......in the eastern and southern counties. By the time Henry VIII commenced his reign (1509), a numerous foreign population had become resident in England: Low Countrymen, Frenchmen, Germans, Spaniards, and Italians, to name a few, and foreign immigration continued to be encouraged by the Crown. In considerable measure due to the beneficial example set by the enterprising and industrious foreigner, the natural wealth of the country was exploited, and England became the leading manufacturing country of the world. Throughout the sixteenth century further increase in our alien population was the result of the growing religious persecution on the Continent. In 1510 discontent with papal authority, and 'oppressive burdens imposed by the ecclesiastics', led to popular disturbances, culminating in the launching by Luther of the Reformation, an event generally dated 1518. During 1512-14 England was at war against the allied forces of France and Scotland, which misunderstanding considerably accentuated the already existing ill-feeling against foreigners, although it did not entirely stop the immigration (Footnote: Letters and Papers, Hen. VIII, vol. ii, Preface). Notwithstanding that the Act, 'De Heretico cumburendo', was still in force, and Lutheranism opposed by the country, religious refugees continued to find their way into the eastern counties, among them being numbers of Scots who had accepted the doctrine of the reformed religion. (Footnote: History of England, by J.A. Froude, 1873, vol. iv, pg. 63) Aliens, whether denizens nor not, paid double the impositions levied from natives, and in the rolls their names are generally set out separately. In 1534 the Church of England was entirely severed from papal authority, the establishment of the reformed religion being followed by a great increase in letters of denization to Frenchmen as well as Germans. According to the subsidy Rolls of 1540, no less than one-third of the population of London was then alien; in some parts of the city there being practically no Englishmen at all! With the accession of Edward VI (1547) greater freedom of religious tenets was tolerated, while in France and the Netherlands the ecclesiastics carried on their unmerciful persecution with increased vigour. Fugitives continued to inundate this country, causing bitter complaints and threats from the native artisans, whose trade suffered severely under the growth of competition. During Mary's brief reign the persecutions brought about by the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic religion acted as a deterrent to incoming foreigners, although few were driven out of the country, and in 1558, with the accession of Elizabeth, the hopes of the reformers again revived." There is more in this source, specifically about Huguenots and Walloons, which I will post another time. Andrea