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The
Somerset court case in 1772 caused the names of the lawyer, Granville
Sharp and the Chief Justice, Lord Mansfield, to be remembered as
key figures in the abolitionist movement.
There
was also a growing problem of poverty and destitution amongst
the black population, which led to the formation of the Committee
for the Relief of the Black Poor.
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Untold Stories |
The
case practically ended slavery in Britain when the court decided
against a master who attempted to kidnap his runaway slave, Jonathan
Strong, and forcibly return him to the Caribbean.
However,
the reality was that slavery continued long after the ruling. Moreover,
among the free blacks in England there were also hundreds of black
American slaves who had earned their freedom, and a promise of compensation,
by fighting for the British during the American War of Independence.
At
the end of the war, these loyalists had to leave the States and
many headed for Britain. Consequently, there was also a growing
problem of poverty and destitution amongst the black population,
which led to the formation of the Committee for the Relief of the
Black Poor (later the Committee for the Black Poor) which distributed
food, money and opened a hospital.
Another
solution it found to relieve the problem was to send three shiploads
to Sierra Leone in Africa in 1787 to set up a colony and be self-supportive.
Use
of slaves was still common
In
Gloucestershire at this time, however, the use of slaves and servants
was clearly still common and spread right across the county. Baptism
and burial records throughout the later half of the 18th century
referring in terms such as 'black slave' and 'a black negroe' have
been found from Sherborne, Twyning, Stroud, Nympsfield, Tidenham
and Littledean.
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| In
Gloucestershire the use of slaves and servants was commonplace |
At
Frocester on 4 November 1790 William Frocester, 'supposed to be
about 11 or 12 years old, born on the island of Barbados and now
a servant of Edward Bigland Esq. Residing in Jamaica,' was baptised.
A gravestone
inscription at Newent dated 7 October 1829 remembers Thomas Bloomsbury
'a native of Africa and for ... 55 years a faithful servant to the
late Samuel Richardson Esq'.
And
even at the turn of the century, records suggest that new servants
– in some cases of a very young age - were still coming in
from Africa. In Stroud on 7 May 1801 William Ellis, son of Qualquay
Assedew, 'a Negro of Guinea', aged 12 years, was baptised.
However
some were also acquiring skills and going into professions. A testimonial
from Richard Raikes dated 5 July 1815 is supporting the application
of John Hart, Writing Master, to the post of master at Bisley Blue
Coat School.
Nevertheless,
he still states: 'Unfortunately he is a Mulatto, a native of the
West Indies...where so dark a complexion is not objected to, he
would make a very valuable Schoolmaster...Â’
And
soon mixed race relations were also known. In Tetbury on 10 March
1827 Mary Ann Elding, 'about 40 years old', was buried. Records
state that she was 'a travelling woman, the wife of a man of colour'.
Hard
times
Many
however clearly found the times hard. At Littledean on 24 March
1849 John Collins, a sailor, native of Antigua, aged 19, was sentenced
to two months' hard labour for larceny. The goal register states
that he 'left his home 10 years ago. Since then has been at sea
in a merchant ship'.
Also
at Littledean on 6 September 1867 'Henry Dyson, 20, Antigua; David
Hunt, 25, W. Indies; Emmanuel Davidson, 22, W. Indies; all Men of
Colour together with James Kear, 24, W. Indies, Mulatto; Mariners;
jointly charged with stealing a wooden bottle and a quantity of
bread & cheese & cider'. They were remanded overnight.
Abolition of slavery 1834
In
1834, slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire. However,
immediate freedom was granted only to slaves under the age of six.
Older slaves had to serve an apprenticeship of between four and
six years.
A gravestone inscription at Newent dated 7 October 1829 remembers
Thomas Bloomsbury 'a native of Africa and forÂ…55 years
a faithful servant to the late Samuel Richardson EsqÂ’.
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Untold Stories |
This
scheme however became unmanageable. Eventually all British slaves
were freed at midnight on 31 July, 1838.
Many
former slaves migrated to Britain from the various Caribbean islands,
and this pattern continued until the 1930s when the Depression brought
a pause to this movement.
There
are well-documented details of the lives, achievements and contributions
made to British society by an array of people of African descent
born, brought to or living and staying in Britain from the early
19th century. They cover almost every field of endeavour, from politics
and medicine to sport and entertainment.
Permanent
feature of British life
People
such as William Cuffay, a leading member of the Chartists; Mary
Seacole, the Jamaican nurse who made her way out to the Crimea;
the renowned Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge; the talented composer
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and BritainÂ’s first black mayor, John
Archer, are but a few whose stories show the extent to which the
black population had become a permanent feature of British life.
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| Unlike
in the major cities and ports, the black population in rural
areas such as Gloucestershire was small |
They
were large in numbers, organised and fully involved in all aspects.
Many were also the product of mixed heritage relationships.
Ex-slaves
who wrote and spoke of their lives as slaves, such as Olaudah Equiano
and Mary Prince, were key figures in the British movement for the
abolition of the slave trade.
Unlike
in the major cities and ports, the black population in rural areas
such as Gloucestershire was small in numbers and so may have simply
disappeared soon after the end of slavery.
The
reduction in the numbers arriving, the death of those living here,
and the inter-racial marriages that most probably took place, meant
that within a few generations, ‘Blacks’ would have been
rarely seen in the county.
»
See 'A Gloucestershire history'
» See
'Black Britain: A history'
» See
'The World Wars'
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