Vandersteens in England

Most people living in England who have the Dutch or Flemish surname Vandersteen are descendents of people who came to this country several hundred years ago.

How far back could the Vandersteens in England go? Invitations to Flemish artisans to come and settle in England were issued as early as the reign of Edward III. A similar policy was adopted by successive kings down to Henry VIII. From the reign of Edward VI religious persecution in Europe no longer made invitations necessary. When Charles V intensified his campaign against protestants in the Netherlands in 1544 immigration to London accelerated. Large waves of immigrants sought refuge in London in 1567 after the Duke of Alva's arrival in the Netherlands, in 1572 after the St Bartholomew massacre and again in 1585 after the siege of Antwerp.

It is not yet clear whether most of the Vandersteens living in England today are descended from a single couple who settled here in the early seventeenth century. There are still breaks in the family tree that future research may be able to resolve.