Black Historical Figures
I started writing children’s books to bring to life some of the untold and hidden figures of African descent from British history. The Time Tub Travellers series explores Black Tudors and Victorians. Below is more information about the two historical figures that captured my imagination and are brought to life in my books.
Introducing Pablo Fanque
Pablo Fanque (born William Darby) had an extraordinary life, from being orphaned at a young age to becoming apprenticed to the famous circus owner William Batty. He first performed age 11 as Young Darby with stunts on horseback and tightrope walking. Following his huge success with Batty he set up his own circus in 1841 and successfully toured all over England, Scotland and Ireland, the first Black man to do so.
The Victorian era was a golden age for the circus, enjoyed by every echelon of society from the poor to royalty, but it was a tough and competitive business. Pablo’s life was one of success and triumph but also tragedy and frequent bankruptcy. One thing was very clear, and that was how much his audiences loved him. The thousands of people who lined the streets on the day of his funeral were testament to the scale of his popularity. His equestrian skills and showmanship managed to overcome any prejudice due to his skin colour, probably because the circus was already a form of entertainment that celebrated the ‘exotic’ and ‘other’.
Shockingly there are few books that explore the life of this fascinating Victorian. If you are interested it’s worth looking up Pablo Fanque and the Victorian Circus by Gareth H.H. Davies and Artistes of Colour: Ethnic diversity and representation in the Victorian circus by Steven Ward. And you can also discover more about him in Time Tub Travellers: Circus Mystery.
Who was Reasonable Blackman?
Reasonable Blackman was one of the first Black tradesman in England that we can find evidence of in the historical record. He lived in the borough of Southwark which is south of the River Thames in London, in the late sixteenth century when Elizabeth I sat on the throne. We don’t know from the records exactly when or where he was born but we know he was living in London from 1579 and by 1587 he was married which meant he would have earned enough money to have supported a family.
Reasonable Blackman was a silk weaver. Silk weaving had become incredibly fashionable during this part of history – trends were often set by the royal family and Queen Elizabeth was very fond of silk stockings. Those and other silk clothing became all the rage (if you could afford it!). Silk weaving was highly skilled work and it’s possible that Reasonable Blackman had originally been living in Holland (which had a good sized population of African descent) where he could have learned the profession.
The theatres were booming business in London town in this period including the Rose in Southwark where Shakespeare plays were originally performed, and there is some evidence to suggest that he made costumes for the theatre.
We know Reasonable Blackman was married but there isn’t any information on who his wife was or what her background would have been. We do know he had at least three children, and tragically two of them, Edmund and Jane, died of the plague in 1592 and were buried in St Olave’s churchyard. The plague was a terrible and often fatal disease that killed a huge proportion of people in London throughout the 1500s and 1600s.
However, there is a chance that at least one of his children survived and continued his trade. An Edward Blakemore, Silk Weaver was married in Stepney in 1614 when Reasonable Blackman’s son would have been 27 years old.
You can explore more of my Bitesize Black British history videos here
My recommended Black History Books for Kids & Adults
If you’re interested in learning more about the Black Britons that have been part of British history then you find all my recommendations in the below link.