Category: News

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor at the Three Choirs Festival

We don’t write about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor as often as we should, he featured in one of our first posts (in 2016) and a few since, but he was one of our main inspirations when we started Historycal Roots and we welcome any excuse to write about him again. Although he has never been ‘hidden history’ (he was hugely famous in the 1890s and early years of the 20th century), he undeniably fell out of fashion for several decades before making a comeback in recent years. Now, as we approach the 150th anniversary of his birth on 15th August 1875, it would be remiss of us not to take the opportunity to celebrate his life.

The Three Choirs Festival (the choirs of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford) gave him a big break when, at the age of twenty-three, he was invited to write an orchestral work for the 1898 festival, hosted that year by Gloucester. It was, the already famous, Edward Elgar who put his name forward to the festival organisers, describing him as ‘by far and away the cleverest fellow amongst the younger men.’ The piece Coleridge-Taylor wrote for that year’s festival, ‘Ballade in A Minor’, was a great success and is still performed today. A review in The Morning Post commented that although the composer was ‘hitherto little, if at all, known in Gloucester …  the Music Committee was fully justified in asking him to contribute to this year’s Festival scheme.’ We might raise an eyebrow today at the description of the music as ‘half untamed’ and ‘half barbaric’ but the review goes on to say that ‘few composers have been greeted in so cordial a manner at a first appearance or received such an ovation as followed the conclusion of the Ballad.’[1]The Morning Post, 15<sup>th</sup> September 1898

For anyone unfamiliar with it, you can hear it here (NB: I tried but failed to find a version without intrusive adverts, you can skip them after a few seconds, but it is, nonetheless, annoying. It’s the price you have to pay to watch brilliant music for free on You Tube):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbQEZjmaAPc

His offerings for subsequent festivals, ‘A Solemn Prelude‘ (1899); ‘The Soul’s Expression’ (1900); and ‘Idyll’ (1901), were less successful and have rarely been heard since. So far our searches have found no reviews of these concerts although we did find this programme for the 1899 concert.

A copy of the 1899 Worcester Music Festival Programme, detailing Elgar and Coleridge-Taylor pieces due to be performed.
[2]Source: https://3choirs.org/news/black-history-month-2022

This underwhelming run did not prevent an invitation to write a piece for the 1903 festival hosted by Hereford. It was a revival of that work, The Atonement, that drew us to Hereford cathedral on 31st July 2025.

As we settled into our seats in the glorious nave of the cathedral we weren’t sure what to expect, the piece had not been performed since its premiere in 1903 – perhaps there was a reason for this?

We are not musicologists or music reviewers, we go to concerts to listen to the music and, hopefully, enjoy it. Coleridge Taylor’s ‘The Atonement’ kept us fully engaged throughout its 85 minutes, it was long but it didn’t feel long. The choir and soloists were excellent as was the Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Samuel Hudson. We enjoyed it a lot and were glad we took the trouble to attend.

As we left, we chatted to one of the ushers who commented that the libretto (the words) was ‘all over the place’ and this is a comment that is reflected in an excellent piece written by John Quinn about the work in general and this performance in particular. Quinn’s article is honest about what he sees as the weaknesses of the composition as well as praising its strengths:

https://seenandheard-international.com/2025/08/the-three-choirs-festivals-revival-of-a-long-neglected-oratorio-by-samuel-coleridge-taylor/

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor died in 1912 and Quinn concedes that ‘had he lived longer, Coleridge-Taylor might have revised the work or, more likely, have produced much better choral/orchestral compositions.’ In fact, his best known work, ‘Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast’, was first performed on 11th November 1898 just two months after the Ballade in A Minor received its premier in Gloucester and almost five years before ‘The Atonement’ premiered. It is tantalising to think what he might have achieved had he lived longer.

We can only repeat that, whatever its weaknesses, we enjoyed ‘The Atonement’.

One disappointment was that among an audience of around seven hundred we counted just three people of colour, classical music apparently remains a closed book for a great many people.

There was a photo in the programme that accompanied the concert showing Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (in the front, just to the left of the conductor) at the 1903 premier.  It is a poor quality image but we include it for its historic interest:

The premier took place at the Shire Hall, a short walk from the cathedral. It is a splendid building and, although the decor is very much less elaborate than it was in 1903, it is recognisably the space where the above picture was taken:

Venue ImageDuring our visit to Hereford we visited the Town Hall mistaking it for the Shire Hall (the Shire Hall would not have been accessible to us anyway). It also has a very grand interior space:

Council venues for hire – Herefordshire Council

Opened in 1905, it seems curious that Hereford should have two such similar spaces  but this probably gives a good indication of the vibrancy of cultural life in the city at the turn of the century.

As this is a significant anniversary we hope that there will be other opportunities to celebrate this Black British composer. There has already been a CD released containing a number of his less well known works including Toussaint L’Ouverture (described as ‘a swashbuckling portrait in sound’ by the reviewer in Gramophone magazine)[3]The CD is on the Avie label, AV2763 and, as is the modern way, can be listened to on Spotify if you have access to that service. It was reviewed in Gramophone‘s September 2025 issue.. Two pieces were also featured in the Great British Classics BBC Promenade concert on 5th August (Isle of Beauty and The Evening Star)[4]https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002gdll (only available in the UK) and, on 5th September, we will be at the Royal Albert Hall to hear Sir Simon Rattle conduct another piece, ‘The Bamboula’. All BBC Prom concerts are available to listen to in full for, I believe, at least a month after they are broadcast. Do check out this glorious music and, unlike You Tube or Spotify, it costs nothing to listen!

 

 

 

References

References
↑1 The Morning Post, 15<sup>th</sup> September 1898
↑2 Source: https://3choirs.org/news/black-history-month-2022
↑3 The CD is on the Avie label, AV2763 and, as is the modern way, can be listened to on Spotify if you have access to that service. It was reviewed in Gramophone‘s September 2025 issue.
↑4 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002gdll (only available in the UK)

Ray Costello, historian, author and friend – 1945 to 14th June 2025

p1050456-3
Ray Costello in 2016, signing his book for us

Today we note the sad passing of Raymond Henry (Ray) Costello.

We first met Ray in 2016 when we attended an event in Manchester for the launch of his book, Black Tommies. We nervously approached him after his talk, he was a Professor and the author of numerous books and we were, frankly, nobodies. Many academics can come across as aloof and full of their own importance, Ray was neither of these things.  He readily engaged in conversation and took a keen interest in the project we were working on about Black soldiers in World War One. He was warm and engaging and we stayed in touch. He may not have realised it but we came to regard him as a mentor and, between ourselves, referred to him as ‘Uncle Ray’.

With Ray at the Black Salt exhibition

We made several visits to Liverpool and he was always happy to meet up and talk. He treated us to a guided walk round some of the less well-known Black history sites in Liverpool and to a personal tour of the ‘Black Salt’ exhibition at the International Slavery Museum, an exhibition that celebrated his own book of that title and which he had curated. He also treated us to more than one meal!

Ray was keen to help us understand just how far back British Black history goes and shared his concern that, important though it undoubtedly was, there was a danger that focusing too much on the Empire Windrush might obscure all the history that preceded it. He also told us ‘you’ll never make money out of writing books’ (we were working on one at the time) and he was right about that!

Ray was kind and generous with his time and happy to share his vast knowledge of Liverpool’s long Black history. He had no particular interest in football but helped when we were writing Football’s Black Pioneers by mentioning that he remembered a member of a long-established Black Liverpool family had played for Tranmere Rovers. We dug into it and he was right, of course, and the intriguing story of Albert Payne emerged.

Ray visited London on more than one occasion to support events where we were speaking, he didn’t have to do that and we are so grateful that he did.

Ray had been seriously ill for several years so news of his death was a shock but not a surprise, it still came as a big blow. Ray was a titan of Black British history and we are privileged to have called him a friend.

Burma, My Father and the Forgotten Army

We pride ourselves at Historycal Roots on presenting original research, new stories that you won’t find elsewhere, but occasionally we come across something too good not to share. With thanks to Audrey Dewjee for bringing it to our attention, we highly recommend this programme from the BBC:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b036x83s/burma-my-father-and-the-forgotten-army

Because it is on IPlayer it can only be accessed from within the UK and it is only available for a limited period of time (about a month), so do watch it while you can. The programme is presented by Griff Rhys Jones whose father was a doctor in the British Army during World War Two. Jones senior was sent to Burma as part of British efforts to fend off Japanese attempts to invade India. Key to the campaign was the use of Black soldiers from West Africa (The Gold Coast, now Ghana). Whilst I was aware of the Burma campaign, the fact that Black African soldiers played such an important role was entirely new to me.  A number of the veterans are still alive and share their memories.

Griff Rhys Jones sums up:

A lot of people are completely unaware that a huge amount of the fighting was done by Indian,  Gurkha and African troops.

Sir Geoff Palmer 9th April 1940 to 12th June 2025

Audrey Dewjee has alerted us to the sad news that Sir Geoff Palmer has passed. He was best known as a brilliant scientist but he understood the importance of Black History and devoted much of his later years to research and sharing what he knew.  He was a great role model and inspiration for the young.

Now considered an intellectual giant, when he arrived in Britain in 1955 he was labelled “educationally subnormal” by the racist education system of the time.

He went on to become professor emeritus in the School of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University and this article about him was published on the Edinburgh University website in June 2024:  https://global.ed.ac.uk/uncovered/1960/geoff-palmer 

The BBC have posted this tribute to him:   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93lry1e6z5o

Sir Geoff told his own remarkable story in Black History Month 2024   https://www.agescotland.org.uk/news/1291-black-history-month-professor-sir-geoff-palmer

May he rest in peace.

Who buys a calendar in April?

Well, perhaps you should!

For the past four years Barbara Ellis has produced a ‘Lest We Forget’ calendar commemorating the contribution of men and women of colour from the Caribbean to the British war effort in the two World Wars. We have them all.

You won’t be able to read the text in the following images but they give you an idea of the overall approach.

We have kept them because, in addition to being a wall calendar for the year, they each contain a wealth of Black British history. For each month there is a meticulously researched article about a particular person or on a theme. Honestly, if you could take the articles from the four years and put them together, you would get a great book about Black British history full of stories that are new to you.

The calendar costs £10 but, for obvious reasons, Barbara will sell the few she has left for £5. If you are interested you can contact her here:

babarasellis4(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com

Please be patient as we know that she is lucky enough to be on holiday at the moment.

While we have your attention, a subscriber asked if we could make the link to the list of prisoners of colour in Newgate gaol produced by John Ellis more accessible – your wish is our command! Here it is:

Black or of colour inmates remanded into Newgate Gaol between May 1817 and January 1882

‘The Best Black History Conference Ever’

In Memory of Marika Sherwood (1937 – 2025)

By Audrey Dewjee, 26th February 2025

Marika Sherwood on a visit to Budapest in 2009 © Rosie Sherwood

My first introduction to Marika Sherwood was at a 2-day conference held in Nottingham in 1993. I attended along with two friends, my husband and our 5-year-old son.

During a recent phone conversation with Lucy MacKeith, another pioneer of Black History research, Lucy asked me, ‘Do you remember the best Black History conference ever?’ and I knew exactly which one she was referring to. The conference took place on the weekend of 16th and 17th October 1993 and it truly deserves to be remembered. It was organised by the Association for the Study of African, Caribbean and Asian Culture and History in Britain or ASACACHIB (thankfully, this long title was subsequently changed to BASA, the Black and Asian Studies Association) and, according to Hakim Adi’s report on the conference in ASACACHIB Newsletter No. 8, ‘Marika Sherwood singlehandedly organised the event.’

At the time I hadn’t yet joined ASACACHIB, so I was largely unaware of who were its members, but I remember meeting Marika, Hakim Adi and Sean Creighton in Nottingham.

The Conference, dedicated to the memory of Peter Blackman[1]Peter Blackman (1909-1993)  https://irr.org.uk/article/restoring-peter-blackman/ who had died the previous August, was entitled ‘Black Peoples in Britain: Local Histories’. A mix of academic and community speakers made presentations on the history of a wide variety of locations including Wellingborough, Northampton, Bute Town (Cardiff), Devon, Kent, Bristol, Nottingham, Liverpool, Tyneside, Birmingham, and several different areas of London.

Lucy MacKeith was one of the presenters. Her topic, ‘Black Peoples in Devon – 17th to 19th Centuries’ was wide ranging. It included local connections with the trade in enslaved Africans and sugar production, as well as stories of Africans who turned up in the county such as Olaudah Equiano, and Peter Courpon, servant of a French Officer who was a prisoner-of-war. Peter married a local girl in Moretonhampstead in 1807. Ten years later, Lucy published a book about her findings entitled, ‘Local Black History: A Beginning in Devon. (2003)’.[2]You can read the book online at https://www.tellingourstoriesdevon.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2003/01/Local-Black-History-a-beginning-in-Devon.pdf

Two presentations at the conference particularly stuck in my memory. In the first, ‘In Search of Mr. McKenzie,’ Isha McKenzie-Mavinga and Thelma Perkins described their search for information about the life of their father about whom they knew very little. As the sisters had grown up in children’s homes with only white companions and carers, their search also involved a discovery of their Black History and heritage. Attendees were able to buy their resulting book.

In the second, speakers from Butetown History Project, Cardiff, were part of a presentation on ‘Black History as a Community Resource.’ Mrs. Watkins gave a brief but vivid talk about her childhood in Butetown, also known as ‘Tiger Bay.’ She remembered with affection how children of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds went to school together, played together and celebrated each other’s religious festivals. Her talk was complemented by Neil Sinclair reading an extract from his newly published book, ‘The Tiger Bay Story’.

Pip Jones spoke about Africans in Bristol in the 18th century, and her work along with Rita Yousef also resulted in a book, published in 1994. (See below for a full list of all the speakers and the titles of their presentations.)

Several of the papers given at the conference were subsequently published in BASA Newsletters. ‘The Nigerian Progress Union’ by Hakim Adi appeared in Newsletter 9 (April 1994); ‘Black People in Canning Town and Custom House between the Wars’ by Howard Bloch in issue 14 (January 1996); ‘Africanus: a 19 th century freeholder of Nottingham’ by Helen Gray in issue 19 (October 1997); ‘Liverpool’s Black Population During World War II’ by Carlton Wilson in issue 20 (January 1998); ‘The Arabs of Tyneside: a disappearing community’ by Dick Lawless in issue 21 (April 1998); and ‘Black people in Kent since 1600’ by David Killingray in Newsletter 22 (September 1998).

Perhaps the remaining papers from this conference are archived somewhere. It would be great if all the papers could be published together online, along with an article from Newsletter 11 (January 1995) by Linda Hodgson on ‘Black People in pre-Twentieth Century Cumbria’, as arecord of all the fantastic work that had been done around the country by 1993.

Anna Davin, in a long review published in History Workshop Journal, reported that,

[The conference] brought together, some two hundred teachers, students, local historians, activists and a few academics who were of all ages between teens and sixties, and of various origins….Many speakers, from both platform and floor, stressed the need to bring black history into the classroom…

As at all the best conferences, discussions extended into every break and beyond. At the back of the hall on display panels you could study background material related to the talks: rare photographs (of John Archer’s wedding, for instance), programmes and documents from important occasions like the London Pan-African Conference of 1900; maps with pins where traces of the Black Presence had been identified; the mock-up for the Wellingborough life-history pamphlet; Tiger Bay photographs and so on. There were also excellent bookstalls.[3]History Workshop Journal, vol 13, issue 1, Spring 1994, pp.246-250.

There were three bookstalls – provided by Sean Creighton of Agenda Services, George Fisher of Ragga-Muffins, and the wonderful Raddle Bookshop that was based in Berners Street, Leicester.[4]There is a great blog about Raddle Bookshop at  https://akinsankofa.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/raddle-books/ Having the bookstalls present enabled participants to take away resources to add to their growing knowledge. My friends and I bought as many books as we could afford.

Marika put together the wonderful variety of presentations covering many areas of the country and brought together enthusiasts from many different fields. She selected a brilliant partner in Nottingham – Len Garrison, whose input helped to make the weekend even more special. At the time Len was director of ACFF (the Association of Caribbean Families and Friends) based at their Education Cultural and Study Centre at 28 Beaconsfield Road, Hyson Green. The Association hosted a dinner for conference participants on the Saturday evening. The food was delicious and the entertainment provided by members of ACFF was memorable. This joyful event was much enjoyed by all who attended (including my young son) and it added greatly to the success of the weekend.

Len Garrison (1943 – 2003)

At the end of the conference on the Sunday, attendees were invited to visit an exhibition, The Black Presence in Nottingham, at Nottingham Castle, which was jointly curated by Len Garrison, ACFF and the Castle Museum. The Black Cultural Archives now situated in Windrush Square, Brixton was Len’s brainchild. I remember the previous iteration of the BCA in the 1980s when it was housed in a building in Coldharbour Lane. The upstairs room had shelves all around the walls stacked with files and files of information, mostly collected by Len. Len well knew the importance of Black History and how badly knowledge of it was needed by young people at the time, so it is unsurprising that when he was based in Nottingham he should have delved into the city’s history, persuaded the Castle Museum to put on this exhibition and even managed to obtain local authority funding for the production of a substantial catalogue to accompany it.

The visit to the exhibition made a perfect ending to the feast of Black History we had enjoyed.

The Black Presence in Nottingham Exhibition Catalogue

This was the first conference organised by BASA. More followed in different parts of the country. A couple of years later, I took out a subscription to the ASACACHIB (later BASA) Newsletter which was published three times a year. The arrival of this little magazine was always eagerly looked forward to, as it contained much important information – long and short articles and book reviews, notifications of forthcoming events and, to me, most exciting of all, little snippets of information from parish records and archives about Black and Asian people located in all parts of the British Isles over the previous 500 years.

The BASA newsletter ran to 63 issues, the last 3 of which are available to download from the BASA website, or read online. The newsletters can be consulted in the library of the Black Cultural Archives and some copies are available for sale in the BCA bookshop.. Details of the contents of all issues are also given on this link: https://www.blackandasianstudies.org/newsletter_newsletter-html

Covers of BASA Newsletters from 1995 to 2010

Marika Sherwood played an extremely important role in the research and dissemination of British Black History. Via conferences and the BASA newsletter, she brought together enthusiasts young and old, academic and non-academic, of all ethnic backgrounds, and gave them platforms where they could exchange ideas on equal terms.

Her own research was hugely important and wide-ranging and it included British Asian as well as Black British History – for example her in-depth research on Lascar seafarers. This dual focus was important because there has always been less public interest and less publicity given to the history of Asians in Britain. Marika was conscious that children of Asian ancestry were as much in need of access to their history as children of African ancestry.

On Marika’s passing we have lost a giant of British Black and Asian History. I hope remembrance of her life will encourage others to try and replicate her enthusiasm and aim to emulate her contribution.

For me, Marika’s memory will always be tied up with ‘the best Black History conference ever’ that took place in Nottingham in 1993.

Conference Programme:

References

References
↑1 Peter Blackman (1909-1993)  https://irr.org.uk/article/restoring-peter-blackman/
↑2 You can read the book online at https://www.tellingourstoriesdevon.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2003/01/Local-Black-History-a-beginning-in-Devon.pdf
↑3 History Workshop Journal, vol 13, issue 1, Spring 1994, pp.246-250.
↑4 There is a great blog about Raddle Bookshop at  https://akinsankofa.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/raddle-books/

Equiano unveiled

How time flies! We were reminded at the ceremony in central London to unveil a plaque commemorating Olaudah Equiano, that our research in 2018 contributed in a small way to identifying his final resting place. A ceremony at the American Church in Goodge Street, London, on 15th June 2024 was attended by many of the ‘great and good’ and somehow we snuck in too! Hosted by Reverend Jennifer Mills-Knutsen on behalf of the church and Arthur Torrington of the Equiano Society, there was poetry from Nairobi Thompson and readings from Equiano’s ‘Interesting Narrative’ by actor, Burt Caesar.

For us, the story began with a visit to the London Metropolitan Archives where we were able to examine the register of burials at the non-conformist chapel in Goodge Street for the years 1796-1808. The name Gustavus Vassa (as Equiano was known for most of his adult life) was there, showing his burial on 6th April 1797.

Ever since then, Arthur Torrington has been working with the church and Camden Local Authority to have a plaque put in place to commemorate the site of Equiano’s burial (the burial ground has long since been paved over and only a few traces of its original function survive).

Arthur Torrington speaking at the event

After the speeches we assembled outside for the blessing and unveiling.

‘Searcher of hearts, God of Providence,
bless this memorial of your servant Olaudah Equiano, Gustavus Vassa,
that this acknowledgement of his original resting place in death
would inspire those who live today.’

The plaque is prominently placed, turn left out of Goodge Street station and you can’t miss it.

The plaque in Goodge Street

Six years is a long time but congratulations to Arthur and the Equiano Society for persevering and getting the job done!

Sean Creighton – 17th July 1947 to 15th May 2024

Some who subscribe to this blog will be aware of Sean Creighton and also, sadly, that he died recently. For those who weren’t aware, Sean was a community activist and stalwart of the local history scene, particularly in London, where he lived latterly, and in the North-East.

We first met Sean when he hosted a local history walk around some of the local sites associated with our favourite composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. The wealth of research that had gone into the walk was very evident and Sean was an engaging guide, happy to share his knowledge. We enjoyed a pint or two in a convenient hostelry afterwards.

After that, we met Sean many times at events where he regularly ran a book stall. He was a publisher too and several of his books and pamphlets jostle for space on our bookshelves. He was a great organiser (one comment at his funeral was that, thanks to his passion and commitment, ‘Sean was the secretary of every group going’) and he graciously invited us to speak at the Norbury Literary Festival (of which he was a driving force) last year on the topic of ‘Writing Black History.’ There are many who knew Sean better than us but it was a privilege to be invited to his house for a birthday gathering last year, his last as it turned out, and to have known him.

His funeral was a fitting tribute, there was standing room only at Lambeth crematorium, with others watching a livestream.

There were tributes from family and friends. One comment that would resonate with those who knew Sean was that, had he lived a few more weeks, he would doubtless have penned a paper on 5th July on how the Labour Government needed to do better!

Perhaps funerals shouldn’t have ‘highlights’ but Tayo Aluko gave a powerful and moving rendition of the Ballad of Joe Hill, here is Paul Robeson’s version (without Tayo’s added verse about Sean):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8Kxq9uFDes

The central message of the song is certainly one that sums up Sean’s outlook…

‘Organise!’

The Royal Academy, London: Entangled Pasts 1768 to now

This exhibition brings together several of our favourite paintings under one roof. As the mini guide says:

‘Entangled Pasts explores connections between art associated with the Royal Academy and Britain’s colonial histories.’

The mini guide handed to visitors and free audio guide draw out the associations and the full catalogue contains an excellent introductory essay. You can buy the catalogue from the RA shop, it is pricey (as these things always are) but it is beautifully illustrated and gives a real flavour of the exhibition:

https://shop.royalacademy.org.uk/entangled-pasts-1768-now-art-colonialism-and-change

To whet your appetite here are just a few of the paintings on display.

Ignatius Sancho is believed to have been the first Black man to vote in a British Parliamentary election and in 1768 Thomas Gainsborough painted this portrait of him.

Sancho was a man of letters, as was Ottobah Cugoano and a selection of his manuscripts was on display:

Better still, the exhibition also includes the only known image of Cugoano, an etching on paper (now attributed to Thomas Rowlandson) dating from c1784 or c1790. Cugoano was employed for a time as a servant by Richard and Maria Cosway and this depicts him in that role.

‘The Head of a Negro‘ by John Singleton Copley was painted in 1777/78 and the subject matter is extremely unusual, at this time biblical scenes or paintings of great battles were the general order of the day. Although Copley had been the owner of enslaved people, this man, whose name, regrettably, is not recorded, is painted with evident respect for his humanity:

These images were previously known to us but a lot of others were not, including this one, a detail taken from a painting by Zoffany, ‘Colonel Blair and his Family and an Indian Ayah’. The catalogue of the exhibition points out that the girl looks too young to be an Ayah (nanny) and is more likely to have been the daughter of an Ayah or an illegitimate daughter of Colonel Blair. We are grateful to Audrey Dewjee for pointing out that Zoffany was in India in 1786 when this was painted.

There are many, many more exhibits to enjoy but we will finish with, Dido Elizabeth Belle, who in many ways was the inspiration that led us to start this site in 2015/16. It was painted in 1779 by David Martin, the previous attribution to Zoffany is now believed to be wrong. To think we travelled to Scone Palace, Perth to see this painting! Our visit was in 2014, before its importance was fully recognised by its owners and we found it hung in a rather obscure corner of a guest bedroom.

The exhibition is on until 28th April and, if you are in London and can spare the time, we can thoroughly recommend it.

 

 

International Women’s Day 2023

There are too few stories about women on the Historycal Roots website. We correct the balance slightly with our latest article by John Ellis which is about Charlotte Gardiner, a black woman who was hanged in 1780 for her part in the Gordon riots. Charlotte did not speak in her own defence when she appeared at the Old Bailey and so we have only the prosecution’s side of the story and this inevitably shows her in a less than favourable light.

Nevertheless, the black presence at major events in British history, which is so often overlooked, is worth recording even where that presence was at inglorious events like the Gordon riots.

As this is International Women’s Day it is appropriate to celebrate some of the stories on our site that feature women. There are links below to a small selection of stories that we have featured over the years, if you missed them when they were published (and even if you didn’t) they are well worth exploring!

First, the new article:

https://www.historycalroots.com/charlotte-gardiner-a…/

And now some articles you may have seen before:

Amanda Aldridge