The Picts – a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now

eastern and northern Scotland. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest of
Britain until the 10th century, when they merged with the Gaels.

The Celts – a group of ancient tribes living in areas of central Europe and Ireland.

The Silures – a powerful and warlike tribe of ancient Britain, occupying areas of present
day South Wales.

Roman conquerors – the Romans created, arguably, the largest and most powerful empire
of the ancient world. Beginning as a small tribe located around Rome, Italy, the Romans
eventually conquered and occupied all of Europe and Britain (up to ‘Hadrian’s Wall’ – the
border of Scotland). Britain was occupied between AD 43 and about AD 410.

Norman French – a region of northern France, the leader of which – William the Conqueror
– defeated the English King Harold in 1066 to become ruler of England.

Angles, Saxons, Jutes – tribes from areas of present day northern Germany and southern
Denmark who occupied Britain after the departure of the Romans in AD410, ruling all of
England (as separate kingdoms) until the invasion of the Vikings. Together their separate
languages came together to form ‘Anglo-Saxon’ or ‘Old English’.

Vikings – collective name for tribes from Norway

who invaded England and conquered large parts
of the north and east of the island from the late
eighth to the mid-11th century.
 Chileans – people from Chile, South America. Colonised
(occupied and ruled) by the Spanish in the 1500s. An important
country for trade resources such as
gold, copper and spices.

Jamaicans – from Jamaica, a former British colony

ruled between 1655 and 1962 when it became
independent of Britain. It is still a ‘Commonwealth’
country, with Queen Elizabeth II of England as its
monarch. During British rule the island was used for
growing sugar under slave-labour. After World War
Two, many Jamaicans were recruited to work in
Britain by transport industries and their work was
vital in rebuilding the country.

Dominicans – from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean 

Trinidadians – from Trinidad

and Tobago. Trinidad was a
former Spanish colony later
occupied by the French, with
Tobago occupied by the British. The islands gained
independence from British rule in 1962.

Bajans – an old name for people who live in

or come from Barbados, a small island off the
coast of South America, occupied by the
British between 1625 and 1966, when it
gained independence. It is still a
Commonwealth nation (working with Britain
and sharing the same Queen).
 Ethiopian – people from Ethiopia, Africa. One of the oldest
sites of human existence, with some of the oldest human
remains ever discovered coming from this area. One of the
few African nations to maintain independence when
territories were divided between European powers.

Japanese – from Japan: major trading power.

Chinese – from or originating in China. Chinese

immigrants were some of the first to arrive in
Britain during the 1800s working in industrial city
areas and on ships. Some of the oldest British-
Chinese communities are centred on Liverpool,
Manchester and London. Tea, a very popular
drink in Britain, was imported from China and
used to be very, very expensive and a rare treat.

Vietnamese – from Vietnam, formerly a French

colony (inside French Indo-China) when Britain
occupied its Indian, Bengali and Burmese
neighbours to the West. Now two countries (North
Vietnam and South Vietnam).

Sudanese – from the Sudan, Africa. The largest country

in Africa and the Arab world, and tenth largest in the
world by area. It is bordered by Egypt to the north,
the Red Sea to the northeast. Formally a colony of Britain
and Egypt, gaining independence in 1956.
 Somalians – people from, or originating in, Somalia,
East Africa. Somalia was never formally colonised by
the British, repelling invasion four times, only defeated
when bombarded by aircraft in 1920 becoming a
‘protectorate’ (ruling independently, but answering to
Britain). Became independent in 1960.

Sri Lankans – from Sri Lanka, an island off the southern

coast of India. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka has led to the
title The Pearl of the Indian Ocean. Formally conquered by the
Portuguese (from Portugal) and Dutch (from the Netherlands)
due to its importance as a trading post, Sri Lanka was
occupied by the British East India Company in 1796. In World
War Two it served as an Allied military base to fight the
Japanese, with a large segment of the British and American
fleet were deployed on the island. Independence was gained
in 1948.

Nigerian – from, or originating in, Nigeria, Africa. Spanish

and Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to begin
trade in Nigeria, establishing a trade in slaves.
Consequently many of the citizens of the former slave
nations of the British Empire are descended from a
Nigerian ethnic group. Nigeria became part of the British
Empire in 1901 and gained independence in 1960.

Pakistani – from, or originating in,

Pakistan. The United Kingdom has the largest Pakistani population
outside of Pakistan. Immigration to the United Kingdom began in the mid
seventieth century (1600s). Muslim immigrants from
the Kashmir and Sindh entered the British Isles typically as sailors to
British port cities. These immigrants were often the first Asians into British
port cities. Other early Pakistanis came to the UK as scholars and stayed
only for study at major British institutions, before later returning to British
India. An example of such a person is Muhammad Ali Jinnah (the founder
of Pakistan), who became the youngest Indian to be called to the bar (as
a lawyer) in Britain. There were 832,500 Muslim Indian soldiers fighting
for Britain in 1945, most of these recruits came from what is now
Pakistan. These soldiers fought alongside the British Army during World
War I and World War II. Many contributed to the war effort as skilled workers, including as
assembly-line workers in the aircraft factory which produced Spitfire fighters. Most of these
soldiers returned to the subcontinent after their service and the majority did not immediately
settle in the UK, although many of these former soldiers returned to Britain in the 1950s and
1960s to fill labour shortages.
 Guyanese – from Guyana, South America. Guyana has
been a former colony of the British, Dutch, French and,
for 200 years, the Spanish. It is the only state of
the British Commonwealth on mainland South America.

Indian – coming from, or

originating in, India. It is
the seventh-
largest country by
geographical area, the second-most populous country
with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous
democracy in the world. Four of the world's major religions—
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism—originated here,
while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived
in the first millennium CE and shaped the region's diverse
culture. Gradually annexed (occupied) by the British East
India Company from the early 18th century and colonised by
the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became
an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for
independence which was marked by a non-violent
resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.

Malaysians – from Malaysia. British colony in the

18th century gaining independence in 1957.

Bosnian - from Bosnia (now Bosnia and

Herzegovinian). Eastern European country with
large population of refugees since civil war in
19902.
Iraqi – from Iraq, Middle East. Site of most recent
British foreign conflict since US-led invasion in 2003.
Previously successfully invaded by Britain in 1917
(defeating the British invasion in 1915-16), granting
independence in 1932.

The Kurdish people, or Kurds are an Iranic people

native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region
known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts
of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.

Bangladeshi – from, or originating in, Bangladesh.

Formerly part of British India. Borders created in
1947 when it became East Pakistan. Established as
independent country after war with West Pakistan in
1971.

Afgans – from Afghanistan – is a landlocked and

mountainous country in south-central Asia. It is bordered
by Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the
west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north,
and China in the far northeast. The territories now
comprising Afghanistan have been an ancient focal point of
the Silk Road and human migration. Archaeologists have
found evidence of human habitation from as far back as
50,000 BCE. Urban civilization may have begun in the area
as early as 3000 to 2000 BC. Site of conflict since
th
September 11 attacks on USA by terrorist groups in 2001.

Turkish – from, or originating in, Turkey.

Palestinian – from Palestine: divided into an Arab

state (Palestine) and a Jewish state (Israel) by the
United Nations in 1947.

Spanish – from Spain, Europe. Competitor for world

trade throughout the 1600-1800s resulting in several
wars.