References to Black People, pre-1939
The Gloucestershire Record
Office holds references to black people in the county dating back
to 1603. These were obtained from parish registers from
around the county. This list has been compiled by James Turtle a the
Gloucestershire
Records
Office over a number of years. However it is widely believed that
there must be many more yet to be unearthed.
| Place | Ref | Date | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bisley | P47 IN 1/1 |
22 Nov 1603 |
John Davies ‘ye black’ was buried. |
| Arlingham | P23 IN 1/3 | 4 Dec 1668 | Hannah, daughter of Thomas Liston, a Barbados merchant was baptised |
| Great Badminton | P32 CW 2/1 | 1678 | ‘Gave unto 3 men that came from Barbadus: 8d’ |
| Great Badminton | P32 CW 2/1 | 1678 | ‘Gave unto 5 men that had been 3 years in slavery: 1s 8d’ |
| Driffield | P120 IN 1/1 | 5 Jun 1687 | Jacob the servant of George Hanger Esq ‘a moore’ was baptised. |
| Great Barrington | P36 IN 1/2 | 9 Sep 1705 | George Tudor, ‘a native of the Kingdom of Golconda', was baptised. |
| Newnham on Severn | Q/SO4 1714-24 | Easter 1715 | John Prince ‘a black boy lately bought into England’ was apprenticed to John Trigge, Attorney at Law. |
| Nympsfield | P234 IN 1/1 | 31 Dec 1719 | Daniel ‘a black stranger’ buried |
| English Bicknor | Dean Forest Mercury 21/9/84 | 6 Nov 1721 | Charles [Ashume] ' a black servant to Mr George Wyrall who departed this life…aged about 24'. |
| Norton | P32 IN 1/1 | 30 Sep 1724 | Mary, the wife of 'Black Samuel Cox' was buried. |
| Gloucester | Gloucester Journal | 24 Aug 1731 | Charles Powell, a lusty, black fellow, said to be born in ..Monmouth, Ran away the 16th inst. from the service of Mr Viney of the City of Gloucester, with a blue Livery lined with yellow… and a dark brown wig: These are therefore to caution all Gentlemen & others from hiring him… |
| Awre | Bishop's Transcript | 3 Oct 1733 | George Bristol ‘a black', was baptised. |
| Sherborne | P289 IN 1/2 | 12 Aug 1736 | George, a black slave, was baptised. |
| Hinton-on-the-Green | Bishop's Transcript | 27 Feb 1736/7 | ‘ was bap'zd a Negro by the name of Jno Caesar Hinton.’ |
| Gloucester, St.Nicholas | P154/15 IN 1/2 | 19 Aug 1737 | ‘John son of Catrna, a black woman belonging to Mr Vernon, base born', was baptised. |
| Twyning | P343 IN 1/1 | 17 Apr 1767 | Peter ‘a black boy of Peter Hancock, Esq' was baptised. |
| Nympsfield | P234 IN 1/2 | 20 Jun 1773 | Francis London 'a servant to the Rt.Hon. Lord Ducie supposed to be 17 years of age - a native of Africa' was baptised |
| Almondsbury | Bigland Historical Monuments Part 1 1791 |
17 Mar 1773
16 Feb 1776 |
James Long (d. 17 March 1773) and Charles Morson (d. 16 Feb 1776). ‘They were natives of Africa and servants to Sir James Laroche at Over [Over Court, Almondsbury], who caused this stone to be erected.’ |
| Tidenham | Bishop's Transcript | 18 Oct 1776 | William Gloucester 'a black negroe' was buried. |
| Rodborough | P272 IN 1/2 | 1 Jul 1778 | ‘William Jubiter – black', was buried. |
| Tidenham | Bishop's Transcript | 24 Oct 1780 | John Romes 'a black negroe', Charlotte Braithwaite 'a black negroe' & Elizabeth Millington 'a black negroe' were baptised. |
| St Briavels | P278 IN 1/4 | 25 Feb 1780 | John Coolin, an African brought from ‘Goree’, was baptised. |
| Littledean | P110 IN 1/3 | 28 Jul 1782 | Romiack, a black, was buried |
| Stroud | P320 IN 1/6 | 28 Feb 1786 | Adam John Parker, Negro, 32, was buried. Parish Funeral. |
| Newland | P227 IN 1/4 | 6 Feb 1788 | Thomas Pipes, an East Indian Black, was baptised at Coleford. |
| Frocester | P153 IN 1/3 | 4 Nov 1790 | William Frocester, supposed to be about 11 or 12 yrs old, born on the island of Barbados and now a servant of Edward Bigland Esq. residing in Jamaica, was baptised. |
| Bristol: St Philip & St Jacob | D260 (Coroner's Account) | 24 Feb 1792 | Samuel Sewer, a black, found dead in Messrs Wilcox & Co glasshouse, 22 February. Verdict: Visitation of God. |
| Gloucester: St Michael’s | P154/14 IN 1/3 | 25 Feb 1795 | Julius Cesar, a black drummer, was buried |
| Thornbury | P330 IN 1/5 | 5 Jun 1797 | Susanna Young, late of St Elizabeth, Jamaica, a free woman of colour aged 55 was buried. Died at and brought from Alveston. |
| Tidenham | P333/1 IN 1/2 | 29 Jan 1800 | Peter Evans, a negro, was buried. |
| Stroud | P320 IN 1/6 | 7 May 1801 | William Ellis, son of Qualquay Assedew, a Negro of Guinea, aged 12 years, was baptised. |
| Gloucester: St Mary de Crypt | P154/11 IN 1/3 | 27 Nov 1802 | Thomas Williams, a negro of the parish of St Mary de Crypt, was buried. |
| Tidenham | P333/1 IN 1/2 | 24 Nov 1805 | Dido, a female negro belonging to Sir George Bolton, was buried. |
| Cheltenham: St Mary's | Bishop's Transcript | 21 Oct 1810 | Romeo Hamilton, a negro, was buried. |
| Hasfield | P166 IN 1/6 | 9 Apr 1815 | Wm Hamlet, son of African parents aged about 16 years as alleged, of Hasfield, servant, was baptised. |
| Bisley | D149 R38 | 5 Jul 1815 | Testimonial from Richard Raikes supporting the application of John Hart, Writing Master, to the post of master at Bisley Blue Coat School ‘Unfortunately he is a Mulatto, a native of the West Indies… |
| Cheltenham: St Gregory's | D4290 pp 1/1 | 16 Feb 1816 | James Hudson, a Negro aged about 30 years, was baptised. |
| Cheltenham: St Mary's | Bishop's Transcript | 12 Jul 1817 | Mingo, a black man, 30 years old, was buried. |
| Cheltenham: St Mary's | Bishop's Transcript | 13 Aug 1817 | Margaret Walden, spinster, a ‘person of coller', was baptised. |
| Hasfield | P166 IN 1/6 | 21 Jul 1820 | James Austin, son of African parents aged about Thirty years as alleged, of Hasfield, servant, was baptised. |
| Cheltenham | PS CH RA 2/1 [Settlement examination] | Nov 1820 | Edward Williams: born in the island of Santa Cruiz in the West Indies, and has been in England about 7 years… About 2 years ago was hired by Mr [?Breesnall] who then lived in London for a year at wages of 20 guineas… |
| Minchinhampton | P217 IN 1/18 | 20 Jun 1826 | Thomas Davis, 'an infirm travelling Black', was buried. 67 years old |
| Tetbury | P328/1 IN 1/19 | 10 Mar 1827 | Mary Ann Elding, about 40 years old, was buried. ‘a travelling woman, the wife of a man of colour’ |
| Newent | D5102/22/G67 | 7 Oct 1829 | Thomas Bloomsbury 'a Native of Africa and for…55 Years a faithful servant to the late Samuel Richardson Esq.' |
| Cheltenham: St Mary's | Bishop's Transcript | 6 Aug 1831 | Jane Ross was baptised. Parents unknown. An adult, born a household slave at the Cape of Good Hope, now the servant of Major Robertson. |
| Littledean | Q/GLi 16/5 (Gaol Register) | 24 Mar 1849 | John Collins, sailor, native of Antigua, aged 19. 2 months hard labour for larceny. ‘Left his home 10 yrs ago. Since then has been at sea in a merchant ship...’ |
| Littledean | Q/GLi 16/6 (Gaol Register) | 6 Sep 1867 | Henry Dyson, 20, Antigua; David Hunt, 25, W.Indies; Emmanuel Davidson,22, W.Indies; all Men of Colour together with James Kear, 24, W.Indies, Mulatto; Mariners; jointly charged with stealing a wooden bottle and a quantity of bread & cheese & cider. Remanded overnight. |
| Littledean | Q/GLi 16/6 (Gaol Register) | 20 Aug 1875 | William Bailey, pedlar of Pennsylvania, America, blackman. Charged with sleeping rough at Littledean. |
| Eastington | P127 IN 1/17 | 29 Feb 1876 | Ann Johnston, a woman of colour, 35 years old, was buried. |
| Littledean | Q/GLi 16/6 (Gaol Register) | 12 Aug 1879 | John Delen, 35, 'mallotta' [?mulatto] from Calcutta. 7 days imprisonment for drunkenness at Newnham-on-Severn. |
| Cheltenham: Christchurch | P78/3 IN 1/2 | 26 Jul 1882 | Ruth an adult Native of Madras, Ayah in the service of Colonel Rowlandson, was baptised in the Tamil Language. |
| Littledean | Q/GLi 16/7 (Gaol Register) |
16 & 23 Sept 1886 |
Frank Decrews, 34, ‘man of colour’ born at Demerara. Begging at Cinderford (16th) & Drunk & Disorderly at Ruspidge (23rd). 7 day Hard Labour on each count. |
| Littledean | Q/GLi 16/7 (Gaol Register) | 10 Dec 1888 | Robert Allen McCall, cook & baker of South Africa, complexion ‘black’. Theft of valuables to value of £6-10s. Committed to Assizes for trial. |
| Littledean | Q/GLi 16/7 (Gaol Register) | 6 Aug 1890 | John Shields ‘American man of colour’ drunk at Cinderford |
| Cirencester | P86 IN 1/9 | 21 Feb 1894 | Sidh Bisill Mahli, child of Nizam Ull Din and Rasham Bibi Mahli of Badoo-Mahli, Punjaub, India, was baptised. Father's occupation: private gentleman. |
| Cinderford | D3921 V/8 | 1927 | In Memoriam: Dr M.L.Bangara 1881-1927. Doctor at Cinderford 1914-27. |
| St Briavels |
D7979 5/4 |
c.1930 | Testimonial and subscription for Dr R.N. Nanda at St Briavels c.1923 – c.1945 |