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- The Ivory Bangle Lady. University of Reading. Research from the University of Reading in 2010 showed a British-Roman woman in York, whose remains were found in 1901, had African ancestry.
- Henry VIII's black trumpeter. John Blanke can be seen on a roll from the 1500s at the National Archives. During the Tudor period there were hundreds of black migrants living in England.
- Britain's first black Queen? Royal Collection Trust. Portrait of Queen Charlotte by Johan Joseph Zoffany. She was a princess from Germany who became a British Queen after marrying King George III - and many historians believe Queen Charlotte had African ancestry.
- 'Hidden in plain sight' Many streets in Glasgow city centre are named after slave-owning plantation owners. Queen Charlotte, whether she had African ancestry or not, joined the Royal Family in the century when Britain started slave-trading - which made it vastly wealthy.
- The Ivory Bangle Lady. Image source, University of Reading. Research from the University of Reading in 2010 showed a British-Roman woman in York, whose remains were found in 1901, had African ancestry.
- Henry VIII's black trumpeter. Image caption, John Blanke can be seen on a roll from the 1500s at the National Archives. During the Tudor period there were hundreds of black migrants living in England.
- Britain's first black Queen? Image source, Royal Collection Trust. Portrait of Queen Charlotte by Johan Joseph Zoffany. She was a princess from Germany who became a British Queen after marrying King George III - and many historians believe Queen Charlotte had African ancestry.
- 'Hidden in plain sight' Media caption, Many streets in Glasgow city centre are named after slave-owning plantation owners. Queen Charlotte, whether she had African ancestry or not, joined the Royal Family in the century when Britain started slave-trading - which made it vastly wealthy.
Feb 17, 2011 · Last updated 2011-02-17. Black people have lived in Britain for centuries - although their circumstances have varied greatly. Some have been enslaved and exploited, while others have enjoyed...
Oct 2, 2020 · Despite this well-established existence, many believe that black British history remains overlooked - i.e. largely ignored within schools and public history. Black History Month seeks to...
- Black British Historical Figures
- Ivory Bangle Lady
- Ignatius Sancho
- Olaudah Equiano
- William Cuffay
- John Edmonstone
- Mary Seacole
- Walter Tull
- Evelyn Dove
- Claudia Jones
Find out more about the lives of some of the most important Black Britons who broke race barriers, made history and left an indelible mark on the history of this country.
Archaeological discovery that revised British cultural history In 1901, the skeletal remains of a woman were uncovered in an ancient grave in York. Dated to the second half of the 4th century AD, the woman was found buried with ivory bracelets, earrings, pendants and other expensive possessions indicating that she held a high-ranking position withi...
Writer, composer and Britain’s first black voter Born aboard a slave ship in the Atlantic Ocean, Ignatius Sancho would arrive on British in bondage. Sancho was an avid reader with a thirst for knowledge and during his lifetime he composed music and wrote a large number of letters – the latter were published two years after his death making him the ...
Best-selling African writer and abolitionist Born in the Kingdom of Benin (modern southern Nigeria), OlaudahEquianowas forced into slavery as a young child. His first master, a Royal Navy officer renamed him 'Gustavus Vassa' and during their eight years together, Equiano learnt to read and write. After being traded two more times, Equiano had saved...
Leading figure in the Chartist Movement The son of a freed slave, William Cuffay became involved in politics when he was fired from his job as a tailor after taking part in the Tailors' Strike of 1834. Convinced that workers needed representation in Parliament, he became a leading figure in the Chartist movement, the first mass popular political mo...
Ex-slave who taught Charles Darwin John Edmonstonewas born into slavery in British Guiana in the late 1700s but died a free man in Britain having taught and influenced one of the greatest men in the history of science, Charles Darwin. Having gained his freedom in 1817, John moved to Edinburgh to teach taxidermy at the university and it was there th...
Pioneering nurse and heroine of the Crimean War Born to a Scottishsoldier and a Jamaican mother, Mary Seacolehad to overcome many prejudices in her life. The War Office declined her request to be sent to the Crimea as a war nurse, so she funded her own way there and established the ‘British Hotel’ near Balaclava to help look after sick and wounded ...
Trailblazing footballer and WWI hero Not only was Walter Tullthe first professional black outfield footballer in Britain, but he was also the first known black officer in the British army. Having played for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town, Tull enlisted at the start of WW1 and soon demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, bra...
First black singer on BBC radio As the first Black singer on BBC radio, Evelyn Dove broke cultural barriers and opened doors for her successors in the entertainment industry. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, the incredibly talented Dove soon became aware of the prejudices within the classical music scene and decided to instead focu...
Founder of the Notting Hill Carnival Born in Trinidad, Jones spent over 30 years living in New York before being deported for being an active member of the American Communist part. After being given asylum in the UK in 1955, Jones began campaigning for equal opportunities for black people, founding Britain’s first major black newspaper, ‘The West I...
Oct 10, 2022 · In honour of UK Black History Month, we’ve compiled a timeline of important firsts achieved by Black Britons. It's by no means an exhaustive list, or a substitute for improved education on...
The term Black British has most commonly been used to refer to Black people of New Commonwealth origin, of both West African and South Asian descent. For example, Southall Black Sisters was established in 1979 "to meet the needs of black (Asian and Afro-Caribbean) women".
