The Anglo-Russians were an English expatriate business community centred in St Petersburg, then also Moscow, from the 1730s until the 1920s. This community was established against the background of Peter I's recruitment of foreign engineers for his new capital, and generally cooperative diplomatic relations between the Russian and British empires. Some of the families were resident in Russia for several generations, though generally retaining UK citizenship and sending their children to be educated in England. Some lived there for so long that their English acquired a distinctive accent peculiar to Anglo-Russians.[1][2][3]
- ^ David Greer A numerous and fashionable audience: the story of Elsie Swinton, 1997, p. 2, "Before the Revolution of 1917 a great many Britons lived and worked in Russia. Some lived there for so long that they acquired a curious accent, a singsong manner of speaking peculiar to Anglo-Russians. ... Another enduring symbol of British influence is the Ukrainian industrial town of Donetsk, the birthplace of Nikita... The story of the Cazalet family is a further illustration of the longstanding involvement of British companies in Russia.."
- ^ Дом Э. П. Казалета "В 1865 году владелец сменился – им стал Эдуард Петрович Казалет (Cazalet), торговавший от фирмы «Виллиам Миллер и Ко.». Он был внуком английского негоцианта Ноя Казалета, основавшего в 1780-е годы торговую фирму "Крамп и Казалет"."
- ^ Чем Петербург обязан берегам туманного Альбиона "Первые британцы, поселившиеся в новой русской столице, были приглашены основателем города Петром I. Это были моряки, инженеры, математики, врачи. Британская община стала одной из первых иностранных общин Санкт-Петербурга, она продолжала расти и после смерти императора Петра I, несмотря на разрыв дипломатических отношений в 1720 году. Отношения возобновились через 10 лет, а в 1734 году был заключен первый англо-российский торговый договор, который придал Британии статус страны наибольшего благоприятствования, и английские купцы поехали в Петербург." TRANSLATION "The first Britons who settled in the new Russian capital, were invited by the founder of the city, Peter the Great. These were sailors, engineers, mathematicians, doctors. The British community was one of the first foreign communities of St. Petersburg, and it continued to grow after the death of Peter I, despite the severance of diplomatic relations in 1720. Relations were resumed after 10 years, and in 1734 the first Anglo-Russian trade agreement was signed, which gave Britain most favored nation status, and many English merchants went to St. Petersburg."