“Who the first inhabitants of Britain were, whether natives or immigrants, remains obscure; one must remember we are dealing with barbarians.”

Tacitus (c. 55–120), Roman historian.

As Tacitus reminds us, nobody really knows who the original inhabitants of these islands are. Our history is a history of population movements, followed by power struggles, regime changes and social upheaval. As we celebrate Black History month in October, we scrutinise the flow of people in and out of these islands from the Stone Age until present day.

Learn about the Hillbillies in the Whitehouse in our investigation of Scots-Irish emigration to America; or how a little bit of the sun-kissed island of Barbados arrived on Reading. Read about the Basque children fleeing the Fascist Franco regime and how they ended up in Southampton; or the Welsh speakers that survive to this day in furthest-flung Patagonia, at the southern extremity of the Americas. Finally, discover the Dark Age Irish invaders who put the Scot in Scotland?

Once you’ve read all 60 of the features, watched try visiting the Interact section to chat to other history enthusiasts, or publish your own features on the subject of Immigration and Emigration.