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I was asked to give a history of migration to Britain, so let me talk about what I can - and please chime in when you can!
We first find evidence of human species in Britain dating back 800,000+ years in Happisburgh, Norfolk. britishmuseum.org/research/resea… 
Similarly, flints dating back 700,000+ years were found at Pakefield in Suffolk, near Lowestoft. eadt.co.uk/news/700-000-y…
Over the next 700,000 years, humans would arrive, leave traces in tools, then leave when it became too cold. This happened at least twice.
The first homo sapiens in Britain was found in South Wales - a bloke, bones covered in ochre, from 29,000 years ago. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/sou…
I should state - the first full skeleton - bits found in other places.
During periods of warmer weather, hunter-gatherer tribes would arrive from Northern & Eastern Europe by landbridge to hunt game.
Sometime between 6000-5000 years ago 'Doggerland', the landbridge, flooded. We still find human traces from there. telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/env…
'Cheddar Man', who lived in Somerset over 7000 years ago had a haplotype found in Finns, Russians & Portuguese. geni.com/projects/U5a-m…
'Cheddar Man', btw, still has descendants in the area. independent.co.uk/news/the-famil…
Technology & ideas flooded into Britain. By 3000BCE, tin & copper was being mined & traded into Europe. bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20…
Between 700-500BCE, groups we call 'Celts' arrived in waves, establishing themselves throughout Britain. bbc.co.uk/history/ancien…
We now think that the 'Celts' who made their home in Britain came from Spain - Once Were Fishermen! independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-b…
In the fourth decade of the 1st century, the Romans arrived & well, we know they came from all over the Med. historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Hist…
When the Romans left, for a number of reasons, 'Saxons' from Denmark, Germany, France & Holland rocked up. historyfiles.co.uk/FeaturesBritai…
But really, they thought of themselves as Franks, Jutes, Geats, Angles & yes, Saxons.
The 'Anglo-Saxons' fought amongst themselves & Celt holdouts to the north for 300 years, until the Norse! bbc.co.uk/history/ancien…
The Vikings had a huge impact culturally on northern Britain. bbc.co.uk/history/trail/…
So the 'Anglo-Saxons' and the Norse fought it out on and off for 400 years. Good times, good times.
Then Frankified Vikings in the form of Normans came, saw & irrevocably changed everything by invading. historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Hist…
The Normans completely changed English society - linguistically & architecturally. Also, lots of murder! bbc.co.uk/history/britis…
Black Britons rock up in the 16th century. Elizabeth I thought there were so many she wanted to ban them. m.historyextra.com/feature/missin…
Irish folks, after being massacred, starved & mistreated by the British, came to work in their factories. bbc.co.uk/education/clip…
Jewish migrants fled persecution in the 19th century & filled the East End of London. bbc.co.uk/legacies/immig…
After the Second World War, Britain invited those in their former colonies to migrate to help rebuild Britain. nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/citiz…
...and ever since, they've taken asylum seekers from various nations & will continue to do so...
So I ask you, after 800,000 years of people coming & going to Britain from all over, what the fuck is 'British'? THE END.
