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Television Presenter Julian Clary’s family story was full of surprises and can be dated back to 19th century Prussia on both sides. Julian was born in Teddington, Middlesex and previously knew relatively little of his interesting ancestry.
The arrival of German immigrants to Britain dates back to the invasion of the Germanic tribes known as the Anglo-Saxons. Until the late 19th century immigrants from Germany made up the largest sector of the British immigrant community. At this time the people of Germany fled economic depression and were welcomed into Britain.
Julian was, however, dismayed at the treatment of the German community as fear and paranoia spread across Britain as the First World War approached.
During the First World War Julian’s paternal grandfather was an engineer in the Royal Flying Corps and experienced an injury following the First World War. If your ancestor also has a military background visit our online family history guide.
Asking your family may sound an obvious starting point, but may provide some clues that can be followed up by using the records at available to consult free of charge at The National Archives.
In addition to investigating places of birth in the census records, you may discover information from the Home Office list of naturalised ‘aliens’. To find out more visit: Moving Here
You can also search one of our research guides
Moving closer to home Julian’s immigrant great-grandparents fell on hard times and maps of London were used to trace their story. To discover Victorian London you may like to use the ‘A to Z of Victorian London’ available at our bookshop