Refugees in London

Very little is known at this time about the lifestyle of the Roussels when they first migrated to London.   It can be assumed that they remained Anglican at least until the time of the marriage of Peter Beuzeville and Mary Meredith at St. Martin in the Fields in 1768.   It can be assumed that the Meredith family resided relatively close to central London given that Mary attended a French school there. And, we know that Peter worked as a young man for his uncle, a Silk Manufacturer, in Spitalfields.

It has been stated that Mary's father was Sir Griffith Meredith, but confirmatory evidence of this fact is yet to be found.

The Spitalfields region of London has, for centuries, been a place of settlement for new refugee groups.  Today the prominent religious group is Islamic and one finds buildings once used as synagogues and/or churches, now used as mosques.

Spitalfields in the early years of the eighteenth century prospered as Huguenot refugees from Canterbury migrated there to join those who were already established. By the middle of the eighteenth century a thriving manufacture existed, and was assisted by a growing export trade to America, and the proximity of London where patterned silks were much in demand.

There appears to have been a big socioeconomic gap between the struggling weavers and the silk designers and those businessmen who masterminded the industry.

In about 1725, when the silk industry at Spitalfields was beginning to boom,   Jacques Beuzeville, Huguenot emigrant from France, established a silk manufacturing business at 24 Steward Street, Spitalfields (which borders on the Spitalfields market). Several partners who were relatives of Jacques joined the firm.  Just exactly who these men were in the beginning is unclear but their surnames were Beuzeville, Levesque (a cousin), and Beloncle (a son-in-law).  In 1790 a son-in-law of Jacques named James Barbet joined the firm. 
 
On 2nd January 1799 Jacques Beuzeville died.  Following his death James Barbet withdrew his capital from the business.
The executors of the will of Jacques Beuzeville lent Barbet Four thousand pounds to maintain the firm's viability.
In about 1800 William Levesque retired from the firm and James Barbet bought his interest.   The firm was then Beuzeville & Barbet.
In 1805 Stephen Beuzeville (son of Jacques) attained his majority and the firm became Barbet & Beuzeville.
The property at Steward Street was sold after 1809 for the sum of One thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine pounds.
In 1824 the firm of Barbet & Beuzeville was dissolved.

Religion and Religious Practices

Huguenot Church congregations in London and Spitalfields were the matrix of the  emigrant community. Organized religion provided a connecting thread holding together the experiences of refugees in the homeland they had left and in their new adopted country.

   Gwynn states that "despite all the changes that took place in the organization of the French churches in England between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries the desire to worship God remained unaltered.  The refugees who left France were devoted to the Huguenot cause.  Unusually determined and principled men and women, they believed that to serve God was to give meaning to life.  this belief engendered a strong sense of personal accountability for their actions, and both in turn fostered the virtues which have marked out the Huguenots and so many of their descendants: frugality, hard work, upright behaviour, responsibility, sobriety".

The Beuzeville family of this history worshipped at the church of St. Jean in Spitalfields. 

French Huguenots in London were noted for their attention to the relief  of the sufferings of the poor and needy. Church congregations prided themselves on providing for poor families even in hard times. Many Friendly Societies were constituted and a hospital was built and maintained.

The ancestors of this family were prominent in their philanthropy, and many became Directors of the French Hospital in London. They include Estienne Beuzeville (1774), Pierre Beuzeville (1776), Jacques Beuzeville (1777),  Etienne Beuzeville ( 1814), Jean Guillemard (1769), Isaac Guillemard (1785), Jaques Guillemard (1789), Jean Guillemard (1793), and Daniel Guillemard (1810).

The following is a touching account which reveals the values and zeal of  two adolescent Huguenots in mid-eighteenth century London, Peter Beuzeville (1742-1812) and Mary Meredith (1744-1811).  They were first cousins, and later married and became ancestors of those who have the legacy of Roussel blood in this genealogy...

This account is related by the youngest daughter of Peter and Mary, Esther (Beuzeville) Hewlett, in her book 'Tales of my Mother', and related by Emma Mary Byles in 'Family Notes'.

When Peter was fourteen years old he fell in love with his cousin, Mary. She was just twelve years old.  Peter and Mary often met at the house of an aunt in London.  Mary had been sent to the school of a French lady in the same neighbourhood.  She was a warm-hearted child, and noticed with sorrow that her governess was looking ill, tired and worried. She persuaded her aunt to to visit her, with the result that the old French lady, who was of noble birth, told Mrs. Roussel the story of terrible persecutions that she and her family had endured in France, of their hairbreadth escape to England and of their present poverty and distress.

Peter was waiting with Mary to hear the result of the visit. He took careful notes about the situation, and then left his aunt and Mary, telling them they would hear from him in three days.

We take up the story now from the pen of Peter and Mary's daughter, Esther (Beuzeville) Hewlett. "Pierre waited not for thanks, but hastened to the prosecution of his benevolent scheme.  Young as he was, his talents for business had already disclosed themselves.  He was placed with an uncle, the head of one of the largest silk-manufactories in Spitalfields, and by his thoughtfulness, promptitude and punctuality, had rendered himself so valuable that he was already trusted with book keeping, and conducting the correspondence of the establishment as a confidential clerk.

Not only did the mercantile concerns of the establishment pass under his inspection, but also the accounts of a number of benevolent societies, chiefly those for the assistance of the French refugees and their descendants, of which his uncle was treasurer. (One Benevolent Society, supported by several of Peter's relatives, was The Society of Lintot  which was founded in 1708 and originated in Bethnal Green - this Society was still in existence in 1963).

To Pierre was assigned the duty of keeping these accounts, of corresponding with other gentlemen of the committee, and of receiving and registering petitions for assistance.  A meeting was to be held in three days (time) for the distribution of a Royal Fund.

The day on which this happened was a holiday: not a public holiday, but one confined to the manufactory, and Pierre on his return (to Spitalfields) found that his uncle had gone to spend the day in the country and was not expected to return to town till the following day.

It was the last day on which petitions could be admitted.  Nothing discouraged, Pierre sat down and drew up three petitions, of the Count, the Countess and their maid, stating in simple and forcible language the circumstances of each.  This done, the indefatigable youth trudged off to Walthamstow (his uncle's country residence) and obtained his sanction and signature to the reception of the petition, as well as a donation of five guineas for the present relief of the parties.

He was urged to stay and sleep there, but no, he must hasten back as he had something to attend to early in the morning.  Next morning when the warehouse was opened he was ready to take his seat at the desk; but he had already been round to several members of the committee and interested them in the cause.  All promised their support to the zealous young petitioner; and most of them gave a private donation with reference also to other influential French gentlemen likely to favour the cause.

No sooner was the warehouse closed then he again went forth on his benevolent errand with a book in which he had inserted the particulars of the case and the subscriptions already received.  So successful were his exertions, and such was the interest excited, that on the evening of the day on which the committee met he had the pleasure of communicating to his little cousin (Mary) the amount of the contribution as exceeding one hundred pounds, and that Monsieur and Madame and Marguerite were placed on the highest scale of pensions."

Emma Mary Byles states that this incident was always remembered by Peter and Mary as one of the happiest in their lives.