Spanish migration to the United Kingdom
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 Spanish Britons  Británicos españoles |
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| Notable Spanish Britons: Queen Mary I of England, Michael Portillo, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Molina Natalia Tena, Roland Orzabal, Edward II, Olga Nethersole |
| Total population |
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Spanish Born (in 2001) |
| Regions with significant populations |
| See Below |
| Languages |
| British English · Spanish · |
| Religions |
| Predominantly Roman Catholic · Protestant · Jewish minority |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Spanish · Hispanics · British Latin American · Italian · Portuguese · Mediterranean · Greek Briton · Italian British |
Spanish migration to the United Kingdom has occurred in large numbers since 1945. Today, many British people have ancestry originating in Spain, and for they Spanish culture plays a significant role in their lives.
Spanish people are more widely spread in the UK than those originating from Portugal and started to come to the UK at different times of the Twentieth Century.
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[edit] History of Spanish settlement
In 1501, Catherine of Aragon came to London aged 15. After the early death of her first husband, she became Henry VIII’s first wife. Their daughter, Mary Tudor attempted to re-introduce Catholicism as the state religion during her own reign and married Philip II of Spain. Both women at that time brought the influence of Spanish culture to the royal court.[1]
Spanish people first arrived in great numbers in 1945 after the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39, when political exiles began to settle mainly in Westminster, Kensal Town, Kensington, Chelsea, Ladbroke Grove and Camden. A republican government-in-exile sat in London until 1945, and a social and cultural centre was established at the Spanish House in Bayswater. Many came seeking work, skills and education after the economic crisis in Spain. Many more economic migrants arrived in the post-war years and from the 1980s onwards, many middle-class students began to come to London. This may also include settlers from British territory of Gibraltar, as those people are British citizens and free to migrate to UK. Britons with Spanish blood from Philippines and Equatorial Guinea may be included here.
Although there are no real Spanish districts as such, it is estimated that around 15,000 Spanish people live in North Kensington, focused around the Spanish School in Notting Hill and around Victoria. Other areas with Latin communities are Camden Town, Finsbury Park, Harrow and Wimbledon, with its people being well integrated into London society. In Lambeth the community from Latin America has grown massivley within the last five years or so with Spanish being increasingly spoken in the borough.
[edit] Demographics
At the time of the 2001 Census 54,105 Spanish-born people were in United Kingdom, which is an increase of just 15,500 in 1991.
It is estimated that around 25,000 Spanish people live in North Kensington, focused around the Spanish School in Notting Hill and around Victoria.[2]
[edit] Distribution
Please note that the list below only has information on Spanish born people residing in the UK. The numbers are likely to be much higher in 2008, as well as those of Spanish descent.
- Whole of the United Kingdom
- 2001 54,105 (0.09% of total UK population)
- East Midlands 1,824
- East of England 4,439
- London 22,479 - Currently up to 100,000 Londoner's are likely to be of full or partial Spanish descent
- North East England 738
- North West England 3,465
- Scotland 2,555
- South East England 9,786
- South West England 3,352
- Wales 1,155
- West Midlands 2,184
- Yorkshire and the Humber 2,128
[edit] Spanish Communities
The information below is based on British places with high concentrations of Spanish born people[1]
- East Midlands - Leicester
- East of England - Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Norwich, Nottingham, Watford
- London - Camden, Chelsea, Hyde Park, Kensal Town, Kensington, South Kensington, Westminster
- North West England - Chester, Lancaster, Manchester, Southport
- Scotland - Edinburgh, St Andrews
- South East England - Brighton, Canterbury, Eastbourne, Folkestone, Guildford, Hastings, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton
- South West England - Bath, Bournemouth, Bristol, Exeter, Swindon
- Wales - Swansea
- West Midlands - Birmingham, Tamworth
- Yorkshire and the Humber - Leeds, Sheffield
[edit] Hispanic Surnames
Below is a list of some of the most common Hispanic surnames in the UK.[3] They are surprisingly high considering that the database does not include illegal immigrants and some people who have recently immigrated to or been born in to the UK, as well as those of partial Hispanic ancestry (i.e. those of non-Spanish origin on their farthers side would mean they are likely not to bear their mothers Spanish surname).
- García - 2,712 British bear this surname, likely making it the country's most popular Hispanic surname
- Fernández - 2,490
- López - 1,950
- Rodriguez - 1,780
- Martínez - 1,561
- Sánchez - 1,134
- González - 1,312
- Pérez - 1,288
[edit] Famous Spanish Britons
[edit] British - Spanish Relations
See:
[edit] Twinnings
The list below is of British and Spanish town twinnings.
- Chesham, Buckinghamshire and Archena, Murcia
- Glasgow, Greater Glasgow and Barcelona, Barcelona
- Lymington, Hampshire and Almansa, Castile-La Mancha
- Manchester, Greater Manchester and Córdoba, Andalucía
- Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and Alcalá de Henares, Madrid
- Plymouth, Dorset and San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa
- Sherborne, Dorset and Altea, Valencia
- Stafford, Staffordshire and Tarragona, Tarragona
[edit] See also
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