Around 1600 in England, in the cities and environs of Colchester, Norwich and London, there was a Netherlandish community, who apart from their trades, were connected by faith and the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederlands Hervormde Kerk). This church is still extant in Holland, but I doubt its influence today is comparable. Their main industry was textiles, at any rate in Norwich and Colchester in East Anglia (where the wool export trade flourished).

It is generally accepted that the Fromanteels originated from Flanders (Southern Netherlands). Many spelling variations of the name 'Fromanteel' are known. At that time there was no civil registry to enforce and record standardised spellings. Even Fromanteel himself often spelled his own name differently.