Seeking Sanctuary

“An entrancing read, illuminating how life in Britain has been influenced and enhanced by those who arrived, often with nothing except their skills.” —Babs Horton, author of Winter Swallows

Seeking Sanctuary explores the history of people looking for refuge in Great Britain. It starts with those Protestant refugees fleeing oppression and persecution from Catholic Spain who ruled the Netherlands in the sixteenth century. It traces successive waves of peoples in the context of why they fled. At various times this was due to religious persecution, political upheaval, war and ethnic cleansing.

“The author writes from the perspective of her work with asylum seekers, which evidently generated her interest in Britain’s history as a refuge. Jane Marchese Robinson’s passion for displaced persons is apparent in her examples and case studies, and for anyone with an interest in, or connection with, the selected groups of refugees over the past 100 years, it will make interesting reading . . . The author demonstrates compassion for, and empathy with, the groups she examines, and many will find this the compelling aspect of the book.” —Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives

“This is a wide-ranging book which explores these major refugee movements in depth and it is often emotional in its details.” —Bristol and Avon Family History Society