The Welsh in London - Softcover

Emrys Jones

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0708316972 ISBN 13: 9780708316979

Publisher: University of Wales Press, 2001

Synopsis

Following the success of the recent BBC Wales documentary The Welsh in London, this popular book brings to life the human story of the London Welsh, with its focus on the comings and goings of ordinary men and women, their cultural and social life, as well as the contribution of some outstanding individuals. The emphasis today in migrant studies is on 'ethnic groups', and the Welsh is among the oldest in the capital, and there are enough data to analyse their history and the processes of assimilation in some detail. The Welsh community in London has been of considerable influence in Wales, yet what we know about it is often meagre and always fragmentary. This book examines how the Welsh became absorbed into London s population yet retained aspects of its culture from language to Eisteddfod, through societies, one of which is now celebrating its 250th anniversary. The narrative is dealt with chronologically, beginning with the earliest contacts with the Welsh in Tudor London, moving from the Anglicisation of the gentry to conformity and renaissance of Welsh literature in the eighteenth century. The book concludes with a series of brief essays noting the contributions of the London-Welsh to various aspects of Welsh life, and aspects of assimilation and acculteration, with a view from Wales of the nature of the London-Welsh migrant. The main concern of the study is with the lives of migrants as a whole, however, the final chapter deals more systematically with contributions to Welsh life through the achievements of individuals.

About this title

About the Author

Emrys Jones is a former Professor of geography at LSE and has published extensively on cities and ethnicity.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Wales Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0708316972
• ISBN 13: 9780708316979
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 273
• Editor: Emrys Jones