Huguenots of Spitalfields
Event type:Date:
Location: Various venues, London
2013 marks the 250th anniversary of the death of Anna Maria Garthwaite (1690-1763), an outstanding English textile designer who played an important part in the story of the Spitalfields silk weavers.
It is also the 415th anniversary of the signing of the Edict of Nantes, on 13th April 1598. This decree by Henry IV of France served as a guarantee to the Protestant Huguenots that their rights to worship would be respected. However, it was revoked by Louis XIV in 1685 with the result that large numbers of French Protestants fled to England to escape persecution. Over 20,000 settled in Spitalfields where there was already an established weaving community.
Between 8th and 21st April 2013, a series of activities will take place to commemorate these two anniversaries, ranging from daily walks around Spitalfields to talks at the V&A and Natural History Museum. Click here to find out more information on Huguenots of Spitalfields.
