I hope no one minds me contributing here and seeking some help. We have a very strong family legend of being of French Huguenot descent-the name is MARCHANT and an unproven, yet certainly handed-down, family crest. I have worked backwards as far as I can and am now stuck at a James Marchant circa 1703, Alfriston/Cuckfield, East Sussex. However my brother has an old wooden kist that is dated 1693, which in all probablility belonged to his father-the date may have something to do with his apprenticeship as a Tallow Chandler rather than his date of birth, or maybe the departure from France which would tie in fairly closely with the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. I believe that Huguenots emigrated over very many years to England and other destinations particularly between St Bartholemews Eve and the Revocation, and, for pretty obvious reasons, were unlikely to have left French records of their somewhat hasty departure, but I cannot find any passenger lists of arrivals in England. I would think that the local authorities of the day would have wanted these arrivals recorded, together with noting profession and place of origin, which would help me where to start looking in France. I have tried National Archives with no success, but I could have been looking in the wrong place, and am also awaiting a report from the Huguenot Society. Could anyone suggest where I can trace and access these particular immigration records? Regards. Marcus Marchant.
