John Francois – A Black sailor at Trafalgar

John Francois was born c.1773/1775. He gave his place of birth as both Curacoa and Guadeloupe. This may have been because he genuinely did not know; he was trying to avoid identification (and re-enslavement); or that he was trying to pre-empt being discharged in one of the Royal Navy’s periodic discharges of foreign-born ratings.

He was captured whilst serving on the French ship Embuscade in the Atlantic in May 1803. He then joined HMS Canopus, his name appearing on a list of “blacks”.

HMS Canopus [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Canopus_(1798)

He served as a rating between 1803 and 1815[2]www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/trafalgarancestors/details.asp?id=17591:

  • HMS Canopus. 1803.
  • HMS Victory. 1803-1806. Ordinary Seaman. Including the Battle of Trafalgar (1805).
  • HMS Gelyheid. 1806.
  • HMS Ocean. 1806-1809. Ordinary Seaman.
  • HMS Zealand.
  • HMS Milford. 1809-1810. Landsman (his age is recorded as 22).
  • HMS Implacable. 1810-1812. Landsman (his age is recorded as 26).
  • HMS Royal William. 1812. Landsman.
  • HMS Superb. 1812-1815. Landsman.

John Francois was discharged from the Navy on 6th September 1815 at Hamoaze, Plymouth, Devon, England. Nothing more is known of his life.

 

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