Black England: A Forgotten Georgian History
£0.90
‘The classic book on Black people in Georgian London’ DAVID OLUSOGA
‘Deeply researched, lucidly written and utterly fascinating . . . If you ever thought Black British history started with Windrush, read this book’ GREG JENNER
Georgian England had a large and distinctive Black community. There were special churches, Black-only balls, many became famous and respected. But all, whether prosperous citizens or newly freed slaves, lived under the constant threat of kidnap and sale to plantations. Black England tells their stories, bringing their triumphs and tortures to vivid life, revealing a dramatic forgotten chapter of our shared past.
‘Black England taught me more history than I ever learned at school. Gretchen Gerzina tells it as it was, so we know how it is . . . a book that will be relevant for ever’ BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | John Murray (29 Sept. 2022) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 21278 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 282 pages |
| Page numbers source ISBN | 1399804901 |
by LyzzyBee
The eighteenth century (or the period the book covers, from just before 1700 to 1837) was an eventful time, and Gerzina shows how Black people came to England first as companions and slaves, either to people who shipped them in or were given them, or with people who came back from the colonies. Later, after the American War of Independence, the British Government promised the Black people who had fought on their side their freedom and a life in Britain; naturally, they reneged on this, and a significant part of the book is dedicated to showing how they promptly panicked there were too many people coming over and hatched a plan to ship them off to Sierra Leone.
Well-researched and detailed chapters look at Black men and then women in Georgian England, picking out information from the biographies of some folk who were written about or wrote about themselves. Then there’s a long chapter on the court cases that ensued when slaves and servants complained about their treatment or escaped, one on the Sierra Leone experiment, and then one on the beginnings of the end of slavery, looking at whether the people we cast as the heroes of abolition were as clear-cut as we think (hint: they’re not).
The book does a good job of showing us that Black people have been here in Britain for many centuries – and how the process of researching history can draw out some details but not all, showing us that class, race and gender intersect to blot some people out of the historical record forever. It’s clearly written although I did struggle a little with the amount of detail in the legal chapter: this could have been because it was hard to see in the e-book what was a quotation and what was the text. A valuable (re-)addition to Black history.
by MikeyC
This book is well-written in an authoritative academic style which may not suit some readers but fine for me. Is it an easy read? not necessarily but the accounts put forward are backed up by good references and the author has been clear to point out any suppositions made, which again points to good scholarship. I have recommended this book to many people wanting to know if black people where in England before “Windrush”
by E. Robson
A lovely looking hardback. Started reading it straight away. Full of fascinating information and a perfect addition to my small, growing library of research on Georgian and Regency Period for my novel. Writers and those with a particular interest in Black British History will find this a perfect addition.
by Lororo
Great book, super interesting, a great read and highly informative