The History of Naturalized British Subjects, 1844 to 1914/21

This project adopts a prosopographical approach in order to investigate the diverse social and cultural aspects of naturalization, which was (and still is) a distinctive feature of the biographies and life-worlds of immigrants. Between the passing of the Aliens Act in 1844 and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, when the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act placed new conditions on naturalization, around 33,000 people acquired the status of British subject. These case studies form the basis and starting point for the project. 

Evaluating naturalization certificates and census data from 1841–1921, alongside other biographical evidence, will allow debates about immigration and nationality during this period to be placed in a social historical context. The project will focus not on the naturalization procedure itself and the conditions surrounding it, but on the people involved and on the meaning of naturalization, both for the individual and for society more broadly. The overarching aim of the project is to investigate the relationship between naturalization and integration. Socio-economic aspects and the underlying practical considerations of the actors involved play a role here, as do questions of migrant belonging and identity – topics that remain controversial in discussions about naturalization today. 

Beyond presenting a history of naturalization, the project thus also aims to contribute to the debate about ‘Britishness’, and to the study of heterogeneity and diversity in the Victorian and Edwardian era. Finally, the history of naturalized British subjects is part of the history of Britain’s entanglements with other states. Acquiring British subject status did not generally lead people to cut off their contacts with their former home countries, and this was especially true of elite migrants. By systematically collecting data on naturalized British subjects, the project thus lays the groundwork for further research on comparative European migration history and, not least, on the history of German–British relations.