Advanced Genealogy
Naturalization
The choice facing someone wishing to start a new life in Britain was twofold: become naturalized, or undergo a process of denization, which sounds painful but in fact means becoming a British subject without the full rights of citizenship, such as inheriting land or holding public office. Naturalization was by far the less popular option because – other than when it was achieved by getting married – it cost money and the additional rights it granted were not seen as warranting the expense. Indeed, before 1844 a person could be naturalized only be an act of Parliament. Records of Denization and Naturalization can be found at the PRO, and there are indexes to these up to 1961, there and at the FRC.