Queen Victoria's 'godchild', Miss Sarah Forbes Bonetta | |
Bishop Samuel Adjai Crowther (seated) with his son Dandeson | |
Sarah's daughter Victoria, named after the Queen | | 
Queen Victoria ruled from the year 1837 to 1901 | |
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Amazing Relations
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Arnold Gordon can boast of two amazing relatives in his family tree:
His grandmother's cousin Sarah Forbes Bonetta, was only five when she was given to Queen Victoria as a slave girl. The Queen took quite a shine to her and ended up raising and schooling Sarah alongside her own children.
Arnold's great-great-grandfather was Bishop Samuel Adjai Crowther, the first black African Bishop, ordained in Canterbury cathedral in front of Queen Victoria herself.
Do you have any amazing stories in your family tree?
Useful Links
"At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England" by Walter Dean Myers, Scholastic ISBN 590486691
"From Slave Boy to Bishop - the Story of Samuel Adjai Crowther" by John Milsome, Faith and Fame ISBN 0718826787 |
