Probate inventories of French immigrants in Early Modern London, edited by Greig Parker, Farnham & Burlington, VT, Ashgate, 2014, xiii + 334 pp., £80.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-1-4724-2085-5

Abstract

Probate inventories of French immigrants in Early Modern London, edited by Greig Parker, Farnham & Burlington, VT, Ashgate, 2014, xiii + 334 pp., £80.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-1-4724-2085-5Probate Inventories of French Immigrants in Early Modern London is an edited collection of 92 French Huguenot probate inventories. The sample of inventories was taken from 22 parishes in London (and one missing parish) and ranges from 1661 to 1748. Parker begins his collection with a 31-page Introduction to familiarise the reader with the historical background of the French Protestant migration and the communities they established in London. Additionally, the Introduction provides an overview of previous studies on English probate records, offers a short comparison between English and French domestic space, and includes a brief overview of probate records and their uses and shortfalls in historical studies.Following the Introduction are the 92 transcribed probate inventories. The records are all found within the London Metropolitan Archive (LMA) among The Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's, The Commissary Court of London and the Archdeaconry Court of Middlesex collections. In choosing the records, Parker relied on the Frenchness of the deceased's surname; a methodological choice Parker admits can cause difficulties, particularly if the inventories are used to understand generational differences in immigrant's identity in London. How can we know if the deceased is a first, second or third generation immigrant if the sample is based on their name? Parker does highlight some of the distinctive cultural features that can be identified among the French inventories, such as the presence of French language books, and these features can be used to determine generational differences among immigrants (18-31). However, ultimately further research is needed into each sample.The inventories are listed by date beginning with Thomas Grafforte in 1661. Each entry contains the deceased's name (with possible alternative spellings), the LMA reference number of the inventory, the inventory date and the individual's occupation (if known). No detailed biographical research was conducted on the 92 individuals, nor were the individuals in the inventories cross-referenced with birth and burial registers. However, Parker does provide a brief sketch within the notes from information found among the registers of the French churches, the publications of the Huguenot Society, the tax records, the Hearth Tax records and the Marriage Duty Assessment. …