the matter of the restoration of property, however, this generous and righteous legislation could not do very much, although it provided that all property belonging to Refugees, which still remained in the hands of the Government, should be returned to the families of their descendants, on proof of original ownership.

Property, however, which had been sold into private hands could not be disturbed.

Gifts and concessions of the property of Protestants made to others than the relatives of the Refugees were cancelled, 'no appeal to prescriptive right being admitted, either from the givers or the receivers. But the successors of the latter were permitted to oppose prescription to the claims of the legitimate heirs, if they could prove an uninterrupted possession for a period of thirty years."1

In this legislation, a Protestant Pasteur of commanding intellect took a great and leading part. I refer to Jean Paul Rabaut, better known as Rabaut St Etienne, a courageous Pasteur du désert, who represented in the Constituent Assembly the district of Toulouse, and who, like his father, Paul Rabaut, l'apôtre du désert, had encountered peril of every kind, at the hands of Bishops, Priests, and agents of the Government, throughout a long series of anxious years. Rabaut St Etienne, himself, had, on the 15th March, 1791, been proclaimed President of the Constituent Assembly, but he was destined in a short time to fall, with other Girondins, a victim to the fury of the Jacobins.

He paid the penalty of his life for his devotion to civil as well as religious liberty, on 5th Dec., 1793, dying by the guillotine.

Even, therefore, if Jacob de Rouffignac left property behind him in his hurried flight to England, it would be no wonder, if his grandson and great-grandson failed to make good their title to the possessions of their ancestor.

In conclusion, I wish to say that Monsieur Jean Philip de Barjeau of Auch, who believes himself to be descended from the same family as Jean Lacostes-Barjeau, the executor, to whom probate of Jacob de Rouffignac's Will was granted, is anxious to know whether any members of the family still exist in England. I shall be glad to receive any communications on this subject and to transmit the same to Monsieur de Barjeau.

1 See Charles Weiss: French Prot. Exiles.

289

Notes and Queries.

I.

ALIENS AT GREAT YARMOUTH IN 1571.

In continuation of the returns of the names of aliens compiled by order of the Privy Council, in 1571, we now print that for Great Yarmouth. It will be observed that, as was the case in all other foreign settlements in England during the reign of Elizabeth, the majority of the strangers at this port were natives of the Low Countries. The greater number were from the province of Zealand, about half as many were Scotchmen, and about half their number Frenchmen. Then followed so-called Dutchmen-probably Germans for the most part, natives of the province of Holland, two of Iceland, one of Dantzic, and two Easterlings. It will also be noticed that by far the greater part of these aliens are described as fishermen or mariners, and some few as coopers-probably engaged in making barrels for packing fish, and that apart from those employed in making clothing almost all the others were engaged in some occupation more or less connected with maritime affairs. It is perhaps this which accounts for the fact that but seven of them are described as denizens.

Burn, in alluding to this foreign community, quotes a petition3 preferred to Queen Elizabeth in 1568 by diverse strangers of Holland, Zealand, and other parts of the Low Countries of the dominions of the King of Spain' asking for permission to continue to reside in the town and carry on their trade of fishing for 'herrings, codd, mackrell, and other fish... after the manner of their country,' and states that the licence sought for was granted on June 8, 1570, to 'thirty persons with their servants and families (ten persons to each family).' Apparently they were refugees from Alva's persecutions in the Netherlands for the licence refers to them as being of late years upon lamentable occasion come into this our realm of England.'

In a short time, Burn says, their numbers had so increased that on February 6, 1574, orders were drawn up by the town. for their regulation. One of these orders limited them to ten 1 See Proceedings, Vol. iii, p. 110 et seq., for the reasons which led to these

returns.

2 Domestic State Papers, Elizabeth, Vol. 78, No. 10.
3 Foreign Protestant Refugees, p. 216.
* Ibid., p. 217.

'pinks' only for fishing and they were to have three Englishmen to each pink.

Now the reformation had dealt a severe blow at this trade as is witnessed by Queen Elizabeth's ordinances providing for the eating of fish on certain days, not from motives of religion, but solely in order to encourage the fisheries, then as always the great nurseries for furnishing seamen for our navy. It is therefore somewhat surprising to find that in a port which has been noted continuously from the middle ages to the present time for its pre-eminence in the fishing industry that there was room for so large a number of aliens to settle and take part in the same business.

It should also be remarked that these strangers evidently considered that the manner of their country' in fishing was preferable to that of their English competitors, and the town authorities would appear to have been of the same opinion as shown by their insisting on three Englishmen forming part of the crew of each vessel. One would certainly have thought that Englishmen and especially the inhabitants of Yarmouth had nothing to learn respecting an industry so peculiarly their own, and yet that this was not the case, even near the close of the next century, is proved by a petition presented to the King and Council on May 8, 1685, by Samuel Heron, Peter Martell, and William Miles, merchants of London.1 prayer of this document is as follows:

The

Your Pet's having purchased fiue of the Doggers belonging to ye Comp of ye Roy ffishery, which they design to employ in the fishing Trade, and considering that the same cannot well be done either to the advantage of themselves or ye Publick without employing some Dutch-Men on board every Vessell, who may teach the English their way of ffishing and ordering their fish, especially ffresh Codd & Herrings, And whereas by the Act of Navigation the Vessells and ffish would become lyable to Confiscation if they should take such a Number of fforeigners as will be absolutely necessary at the first for Manning the said Doggers and instructing the English ffishers as abovesaid:

'Your Pet's most humbly pray that for ye better carrying on and improving of their said intended ffishery your Maty would be graciously pleased to give them leave to invite & bring over about 40 ffamilies of Dutch fishers to settle here, And that, for their Encouragement & Security agst the said Act, they may by your Mats Royall Grace & favor be made free Denizens of this Kingdom gratis in like Manner as the distressed ffrench Protestants haue been made.'

1 Domestic State Papers, James II., Bundle 5.

1 The total of the numbers of the children so far appearing in this column.