Montserratians in the United Kingdom including

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

ian-born immigrants to the United Kingdom and their British-born descendants constitute the second largest number of overseas British citizens living in the UK (behind Gibraltarians).

History and settlement

The

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

island of

has experienced British rule for centuries. British control was established in 1632 and to this day it remains an

overseas territory of the United Kingdom The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Bri ...

. This in itself makes it easy for the overseas British citizens to migrate to the UK with few problems. In 1995, the island's Soufrière Hills volcano erupted, destroying a large percentage of the island, including its capital city,

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

. The volcano later continued to erupt over the following years, and ultimately two thirds of Montserrat's population left the island. The UK immediately offered assistance, and began to welcome large numbers of refugees from the island. The people of Montserrat were granted full residency rights in the UK in 1998, and citizenship was granted four years later.

Demographics

According to the

2001 UK Census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...

7,983 Montserratian-born people were residing in the UK (almost twice the population of Montserrat itself). According to the

2011 UK Census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

, there were 7,250 Montserratian-born residents in England, 20 in Wales, and 14 in Scotland.

Notable individuals

* Notable British people of Montserratian descent

References

Caribbean British *Montserratian Immigration to the United Kingdom by country of origin {{Europe-ethno-group-stub