AFRICA AND THE SOLENT
In celebration of October’s Black History Month James Rayner talks about some of the discoveries he made for his recent book
F
rom as far back as the Roman period, people of African origin have played an important part in British
history. Every corner of the country has its own unique story of how black and mixed-race people have made their mark – and the Solent is no exception.
Barracks on the Isle of Wight . My research for The Isle of Wight’s Missing Chapter focused on the Island’s black history, and has uncovered over 100 men and women of African origin who were either born on the Island, lived there, or just visited – all before the Second World War. Some of the
Starting in the Tudor period, we can find evidence of
visitors were very well-known
individuals of African origin,
people like King Cetshwayo
from
a
West
diver,
investigating
African
of the Zulus, Prince Alemayehu
Solent
of Ethiopia, the black British
shipwrecks in the 1540s, to
circus owner Pablo Fanque
freed black slaves being
and
disembarked on the Isle of Wight in the 1570s. Recent
of
African
or
born as far back as the
Mary Rose originated from
Georgian period along with
Morocco or Algeria.
32
model
Caribbean heritage being
one crew member of the
In 1796, over 2,000 black and mixed-race Caribbean prisoners of war who had been fighting for the French, were brought to be held at Porchester Castle. Some were eventually sent to France in exchange for British prisoners but others enlisted in the British Army and remained longer. For example, in 1804 one of the former prisoners, a mixed-race Haitian soldier called Toussainte Ruppian, was stationed at Parkhurst
Jamaican
Islanders
research proves that at least
By the 17th century, North African pirates were often visiting the waters of the Solent, and during the Georgian period numerous black servants worked in the grand houses of the gentry. Black soldiers were not uncommon too, and records for the Isle of Wight show black and mixed-race men from Haiti, Guadeloupe and Barbados serving in British regiments.
the
Fanny Eaton. I also discovered
newspaper reports of black men
and
women
settling
on the island throughout the 19th century. There’s sure to be similar discoveries to be made in Portsmouth. Did the dockyard employ any skilled black shipwrights? Were there any Caribbean lady’s maids working for the well-todo of Southsea? And did any black actors make their debut appearance at the New Theatre Royal? There’s certainly much more black British history still to uncover, and it’s up to all of us to bring these stories to light.
James Rayner was born on the Isle of Wight. He has written various articles for print and online magazines. The Isle Of Wight’s Missing Chapter, is his first book, published by The Book Guild Ltd, £9.99 www.bookguild.co.uk
