The former county of Flanders, which was located on the North Sea and was often linked to both Belgium and the Netherlands, provided Britain with a large number of immigrants during the medieval period. They became invaluable contributors to the development of Britain and contributed more to British industrial development than any other single group. The Flemish began to arrive in Britain at the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Walter Bec of Flanders led a contingent of his countrymen, who fought as allies of Duke William of Normandy during the Battle of Hastings. Following the Norman victory, many of the Flemish were granted lands upon which they settled permanently. Many more Flemish migrants arrived in 1107, after a large part of Flanders had been flooded. Some of them went to Northumbria, but were later transferred to the Welsh county of Pembroke.
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