A growing population: Life in the UK test revision

The 17th and 18th centuries were a time of people moving both ways: many Britons left for colonies in America, while newcomers arrived. Among the first were Jewish settlers, who made their homes in London in 1656, the first Jewish community in Britain since the Middle Ages. Others, such as the Huguenots, followed soon after.

Why it matters: Dates of migration are regularly tested, and 1656 is easy to confuse with the Huguenot arrivals of 1680 to 1720.

Memory hook: Picture a London door opening in 1656: '56' rhymes with 'fix', the year London fixed a new home for Jewish settlers.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 16

The Huguenots were French Protestants who were persecuted for their religion at home. Between 1680 and 1720 many of them fled across the Channel to Britain, which was a Protestant country. They were often educated and skilled, so they were a gift to the economy as well as people in need of shelter.

Why it matters: 'Huguenot' is a word the test expects you to recognise, usually paired with France, Protestant and the years 1680 to 1720.

Memory hook: Huguenot sounds French because it is: Hugue-NOT welcome in France, so they came here.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 16

Religion could still cost you everything in 17th-century Europe. The Huguenots were French Protestants, persecuted at home for their faith. Britain, with its new rule that the monarch must be Protestant, was a natural refuge. The handbook notes that many Huguenots were educated and skilled, working as scientists, in banking, or in weaving and other crafts.

Why it matters: The test may ask either why the Huguenots came or what work they did, so this fact and its explanation cover both.

Memory hook: Protestants Persecuted, so they Packed up: the three Ps of the Huguenot story.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 16

Refugees are often imagined as arriving with nothing, but the Huguenots brought skills. Many were educated people who found work as scientists, in banking, or in weaving and other crafts. That mix of brains and craftsmanship helped Britain's growing economy, and it is a pattern the handbook returns to with later waves of migrants.

Why it matters: Weaving is the detail examiners pick most often, so make sure it is on your list.

Memory hook: Huguenots: Science, Banks, Weaving. Think 'Smart Bankers Weave'.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 16