 By the 17th century , Canterbury 's population was 5 @,@ 000 ; of whom 2 @,@ 000 were French @-@ speaking Protestant Huguenots , who had begun fleeing persecution and war in the Spanish Netherlands in the mid @-@ 16th century . The Huguenots introduced silk weaving into the city , which by 1676 had outstripped wool weaving . 
