Huguenot History

The Huguenot Cross

This beautiful and symbolic confirmation of the wearer's faith (left) was designed and manufactured by a certain Mystre of Nimes in 1688. It has its roots in the Maltese Cross, which was the symbol of the Knights of Malta, heirs of the Hospital Knights of St. John of Jerusalem; in the Cross of Languedoc; and, in the decoration which Henry III introduced in 1578, the Order of the Holy Spirit.

The Cross consists of an open four-petal Lily of France, and the petals thereby form a Maltese Cross. the four petals signify the four Gospels. Each arm or petal, at the periphery, has two rounded points at the corners. These points are regarded as signifying the eight Beatitudes. the four petals are joined by four fleur-de-lis signifying the mother country of France. The twelve rounded points described in the four petals and four fleur-de-lis signify the twelve Apostles. there is formed between each fleur-de-lis and the arms of the two petals with which it is jointed, an open space taking the shape of a heart which suggests the seal of John Calvin. Suspended from the lower central petal by a ring of gold is a pendant dove signifying the church under the cross. In times of persecution a teardrop supplanted the dove. . . .

(From the Huguenot Society of Texas, Handbook )

'Huguenot' is the name given to people who practiced a particular kind Protestantism in France which was aligned with the theology of John Calvin. It was born out of the Reformation, and became widespread in France in the early part of the sixteenth century due to the efforts of humanist reformers: Zwingli, Gerard Roussel, Farel, and others.

Protestantism in France in those times was based on a belief in salvation through individual faith alone, that is, without the need to go through a church hierarchy, and a belief in the individuals' right to interpret scripture for him or her self. This placed the French Protestants in conflict with the Roman Catholic Church, and in consequence of that, also in conflict with the Monarchy in a theocratic system.

From 1547 to 1560, during the reigns of Henry II of France, and Francis II, the Huguenot cause prospered, and included members of the nobility, as well as to social groups which felt themselves repressed by the social order, providing a unifying system which was used as a base to confront the seats of power. It is estimated that one third to one half of the nobility became Huguenots, and in their fight against royal centralization of the government, used Protestantism as a way of promoting their own interests.

It is important to hold the distinction between those Huguenots who were peace loving and non political, and those Huguenots who used the cause to establish a political and military base.

Tension between the Catholic Church/State and the Protestants mounted until, during the reign of Charles IX (1560-1574) Catherine de Medici, his mother, in alliance with the Duke of Guise, planned the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre which took place on August 25, 1572. Hapless Huguenots were killed in Paris by the thousands as they gathered together for religious celebrations.

In 1598 Henry IV created the Edict of Nantes which gave the Huguenots in France limited religious freedom. In 1685, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes not only removed both the civil and religious liberties granted to the Huguenots, but created oppressive laws and decrees which stigmatized and penalized the Huguenots. They were forbidden to proselytize, forbidden to criticize the established Church, forbidden to conduct their daily lives as freely as their neighbours, and finally forbidden even to exist".

Huguenots were prohibited from joining some trades and professions, and excluded from public office. severe restrictions were put on Huguenots practicing medicine and law, arbitrary and discriminatory taxes were levied, and those who could not prove that they had converted to Catholicism were not allowed to be beneficiaries of deceased estates. Children were forcibly removed from their parents and placed in homes where they could be raised as Catholics, which caused great anguish.

The challenge for the Huguenots was to endure, but many found life intolerable and left France by the thousands migrating to England, Holland, Germany and Switzerland. Later migrations to North America and South Africa resulted in enclaves of Huguenots in those countries.

Between 1670 and 1710 it is estimated that forty or fifty thousand Huguenots escaped to England. The Roussel and Beuzeville refugees in this genealogy migrated to England and settled in London, primarily in Spitalfields. They, like all refugees cut off from their homelands, were forced to make exceptional efforts and sacrifices to establish themselves in a new land which confronted them with a new language, as well as unfamiliar political and social customs.

The strong religious beliefs of the Huguenots in England strained their relations with the Anglican church, and many who aligned themselves with the Anglican church when they first arrived withdrew and formed French Reformed church congregations which supported the French language and customs. These provided emotional and psychological support as well as social welfare.

Assimilation into English society was slow because the Huguenots fiercely defended their own ecclesiastical system and their own language, and had a fierce determination to preserve French culture. However, a group cannot live permanently between two cultures, and gradually through inter-marriage and socialization new generations were born which promoted the use of the English language and the adoption of English customs.

Fortunately, it is a Huguenot characteristic to preserve Huguenot history, and to treasure the genealogical records and archives of individual families.