Hello Edie: Thanks for writing - you didn't say what surname you are researching. My theory is that northern French Calvinists from Artois were involved in draining the marshes behind the Pale of Calais when it was ruled by the English. In 1558 when the city was won back by the French and many of the Walloons sentenced to permanent exile by the Spanish Inquisition just after the winning of Calais, many of the 'drainers' went to various places in the Netherlands although the Spanish army was invading about the same time - the Walloons were in Cadzand, Flushing, then Middelburg (a big group who I think were draining the marshes in the middle of the island of Walcheren where Middelburg lies); Amsterdam, Leyden (where there is a huge collection of Walloon names in the University Library), Haarlem, etc. I would suggest that you look up your surnames in the Walloon collections which are available on film through a rental from the LDS (Mormon) Family History Centers - the strips photographed (Mirandelle collection) are all easily readable and the films are set up alphabetically (only by the letter so you do have to go through all the "C"s for instance) I'm sure there are experts on Vermuyden but he spent a good deal of time in England, finally becoming naturalized. He had worked on a drainage near the River Thames and somewhere else before contracting with the King to drain Hatfield Chase and then he went on to drain the Great Bedford Level although he was not the last 'adventurer' to do so. Books have been written about him. However, the story of the Walloon and Huguenot drainage people who were hired by Vermuyden for Hatfield (he had worked with them before in the Netherlands) has not been fully written as no book I've read has ever said where he found them in The Netherlands nor where they had settled - he had to contract them very fast, raise the money and get back to England. Note: The island of Walcheren used to be part of the country of Flanders and Calvinist clergy were often named and sent from there down into Artois which was also once part of Flanders - the Walloons came from French Flanders - east of Artois a bit - around Lille, etc. Also, the city of Norwich requested some French drainers to go to Norfolk and drain the marshes near Norwich in 1547 - the drainers may have stayed in Norfolk although I think some of them went into Cambridgeshire and worked on the Great Bedford Level - I should tell you there is conflict about the fact that the Walloons/Huguenots worked on the Great Bedford Level at all. I think they did. Regards - Carol