Places of Black History: from Roman times to the present day

Aurelian Moors

Hadrian's Wall, Cumbria

Hadrian's Wall was the frontier of the Roman Empire in Britain until circa AD 400.

The seventy-mile-long wall stretched from coast to coast and was protected by towers, milecastles and forts.

The discovery of an altar in 1934 revealed that the wall fort of Aballava (modern-day Burgh by Sands, Cumbria) was garrisoned in the 3rd century by Aurelian Moors. These were Roman troops from the province of Mauretania in North Africa, and who were named after Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Read the National Heritage List entry for the Roman fort at Burgh by Sands.

Beachy Head Lady

Beachy Head, Eastbourne, East Sussex

The first Black British individual known to us is referred to as 'Beachy Head Lady'.

She was discovered in 2012 when archaeologists studied some skeletons that had been excavated in the Eastbourne area between the late 19th century and the 1990s.

One skeleton was found to be a 2nd- or 3rd-century African-Roman woman who had either been born in the region or had been brought here at a young age.

The analysis of the skeleton revealed that she had enjoyed a healthy diet and when she died she had been laid out carefully in a grave. This suggests that her status was not lowly or that of an enslaved person.

John Blanke

Greenwich Palace, London

John Blanke is the first Black Briton for whom we have a name and image in official records, first appearing in 1509.

Blanke was a royal trumpeter who performed at the celebrations that marked the birth of Prince Harry, son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

It is possible that Blanke was one of a group of African attendants that came to London with Catherine. One of the sites that he likely played at was the riverside royal palace at Greenwich, which had been named 'Placentia' by Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI.

Read the National Heritage List entry for Greenwich Palace.

Francis Barber (c1745-1801)

Dr Johnson's House, City of London

Francis Barber was born enslaved in Jamaica. He was brought to England and in 1752 was sent to serve the recently-bereaved writer Samuel Johnson. He remained legally enslaved until 1755.

Barber worked as Johnson's valet and secretary at Johnson's rented home - a 17th-century merchant's house - in Gough Square, London. It was here that Johnson's most famous work, his Dictionary of the English Language was compiled.

It is said that Johnson treated Barber as a surrogate son - when he ran away to sea, Johnson arranged for his discharge and he later paid for him to be educated at Bishop's Stortford School.

When Johnson died in 1784 he left Barber an annuity of £70 and a gold watch. Barber later settled in Litchfield, Staffordshire, where his descendants still live.

Read the National Heritage List entry for Dr Johnson's House.

Joseph Emidy (c1775-1835)

Church of St Keyne, Kenwyn, Cornwall

Joseph Emidy is celebrated as the most influential musical figure in early 19th century Cornwall.

He was born in West Africa and enslaved by Portuguese traders who took him to Brazil, then Portugal, where he became a violinist in the Lisbon Opera.

In 1795 he was forced into service as a fiddler on a British Navy ship. Four years later he was discharged in Falmouth where he earned his living as a violinist and teacher.

In 1802 he married Jane Hutchins, a local tradesman's daughter, and in 1805 the couple and their daughters moved to Truro, where he became Leader of the Truro Philharmonic Orchestra.

Emidy's memorial stone is in the churchyard of Kenwyn Parish Church, Truro.

Read the National Heritage List entries for Emidy's memorial and Kenwyn Parish Church.

Olaudah Equiano (c1745-1797)

Church of St Andrew, Soham, Cambridgeshire

The Minster Church of St Andrew in Soham dates to the late 12th century. Six hundred years later, it formed a connection with one of the great campaigners of the abolition movement.

Olaudah Equiano was kidnapped as a child and endured enslavement in Africa, the West Indies and on a ship. In 1766 he purchased his freedom and in 1789 published his autobiography, which vividly described his experiences. He toured to promote his book and to speak out for the cause of abolition.

On 7 April 1792 Equiano married a local woman, Susanna Cullen, in the Church of St Andrew. Their two daughters, Anna Maria and Joanna were also baptised here.

Read the National Heritage List entries for the Church of St Andrew and for the Church of St Andrew in Cambridge, which has a plaque commemorating Anna Maria.

George Bridgetower (c1780-1860)

Royal Pavilion, Brighton

George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower was a virtuoso violinist. His father was of African decent, and possibly the son of a prince.

Bridgetower was a child prodigy. In 1789 he played at the Assembly Rooms in Bath and from the age of eleven he was first violinist in the Prince of Wales' (later George IV) private orchestra, including at his royal seaside residence in Brighton.

Bridgetower is also remembered for his association with Ludwig van Beethoven, who composed the Kreutzer Sonata for him.

Read the National Heritage List entries for Bath Assembly Rooms and Brighton Pavilion.

George Ryan (born c1781)

Nelson's Column, Westminster, London

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square is a memorial to Admiral Horatio Nelson, naval commander, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

The pedestal of the column is decorated with four bronze relief panels and depicts scenes from four battles. At the far left of John Edward Carew's The Death of Nelson at Trafalgar, a Black sailor can be seen standing with musket in hands.

It is possible that this figure represents George Ryan. Ryan is listed as serving on Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory, at the Battle of Trafalgar. He is one of eighteen men who fought in the battle listed as being born in Africa. Ryan continued to serve in the Royal Navy until 1813.

Read the National Heritage List entry for Nelson's Column.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta (c1842-1880)

Windsor Castle, Windsor

Bonetta was a child captive of the King of Dahomey, West Africa. In 1850, she was given as a 'diplomatic gift' to a British emissary, Captain Forbes, who presented her to Queen Victoria. The Queen then supported her education and upbringing.

Bonetta regularly visited the royal court at Windsor Castle. She settled in Brighton and in 1862, with Victoria's approval, Bonetta married James Davies, a Yaruba businessman, at the Church of St Nicholas in Brighton.

Bonetta was given permission by the Queen to name her first child Victoria. The Queen also became the child's godmother.


Read the National Heritage List entries for Windsor Castle and the Church of St Nicholas.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)

Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born in Holborn, London in 1875. He took music lessons as a child and won a violin scholarship to the Royal College of Music, where he studied composition.

He became a professional musician, composer and conductor, and produced popular choral works and music for theatre. His cantata Hiawatha's Wedding Feast gained him international fame. Coleridge-Taylor's Black identity was important to him and it inspired much of his work.

When he died in 1912, aged thirty-seven, thousands attended his funeral. On 22 November 1912 a charity memorial concert was held at the Royal Albert Hall to support Coleridge-Taylor's widow and children. His music continued to be played at the venue years after his death.

Read the National Heritage List entry for the Royal Albert Hall.

John Archer (1863-1932)

Battersea Town Hall, Wandsworth, London

In 1906 John Archer was elected to Battersea borough council. He was one of Britain's first Black councillors and in 1913 he became Britain's first Black mayor.

Archer was born in Liverpool and after a period of travel settled in London with his African-Canadian wife, Bertha. He set up a photographic studio and entered local politics.

In his Mayoral acceptance speech, he said:

Battersea had done many things in the past, but the greatest thing it has done is to show that it has no racial prejudice, and that it recognises a man for the work he has done.

Read the National Heritage List entry for the former Battersea Town Hall.

Bill Morris (1938-)

Congress House, Camden, London

Congress House was built as the headquarters for the Trades Union Congress. It also acts as a memorial to trade unionists who died in the First and Second World Wars.

Bill Morris is one of Britain's most celebrated Trade Unionists. He was born in Jamaica and moved to Birmingham in 1954 and soon became active in the Transport and General Workers Union. In 1991 he was elected its General Secretary, becoming the first Black leader of a major British trade union.

Morris was also active on a number of national bodies and was a member of the Commission for Racial Equality. His endeavors resulted in him receiving a knighthood in 2003 and in 2006 he took a seat in the House of Lords as Baron Morris of Handsworth.

Read the National Heritage List entry for Congress House.

David Case (c1953-)

RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire

When he was promoted to air commodore in 2000, David Case was the highest-ranking Black officer to serve in the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Case was born in Guyana, South America, and came to Britain as a young boy. At age nineteen, he joined the RAF. Case was awarded the Sword of Honour at the RAF College at Cranwell in Lincolnshire for being the top cadet officer in his year.

He later served at Cranwell, leading the Department of Specialist Ground Training.

Read the National Heritage List entry for College Hall.

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Brixton Recreation Centre, Lambeth, London

Brixton Recreation Centre was built between 1974 and 1985 and became a major social centre for the local community, where it is known as the 'Rec'.

The Rec is situated in an area associated with Black British culture, the struggle for equality, and for racial tension and violence. In recognition of this, the Rec was where Nelson Mandela chose to meet supporters during an official state visit to Britain.

On 12 July 1996, around 10,000 people turned out to honour Mandela, and the memory of his visit continues to resonate with the local community today.

Read the National Heritage List entry for Brixton Recreation Centre.

John Sentamu (1949-)

York Minster, North Yorkshire

The Archbishop of York is the second most senior bishop in the Church of England. The first was appointed in AD 627. Between then and 2020, a total of ninety-eight archbishops have served.

The ninety-seventh Archbishop of York was John Sentamu - Britain's first Black archbishop. His enthronement at York Minster on 30 November 2005 celebrated his Ugandan roots in combination with Church of England ceremonial customs.

Born near Kampala in 1949, Sentamu studied law and became a critic of President Idi Amin's regime. He was forced to flee to Britain in 1974. Ordained in 1979, he became Bishop of Stepney in 1996 and Bishop of Birmingham in 2002. After serving almost fifteen years as Archbishop of York, Sentamu retired in 2020.

Read the National Heritage List entry for York Minster.

Black history and the historic environment

Historic buildings, archaeological sites, public statues and street names can bring us face to face with Britain's Black history.

Historic England, and its predecessor, English Heritage, have also conducted and commissioned research into the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade in the nation's heritage assets.

You can discover more about:

Black British History

The Slave Trade and Abolition

and read our statement on contested heritage.