Scipio Africanus!
Hello! Welcome to my first blog post. The purpose of this blog is to shed a light on the history of Bristol, and therefore at nation at large.
My first post focuses on the story of Scipio Africanus, a story which is equally saddening, fascinating, defined by the unknown. Scipio Africanus’s graveyard stands in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Henbury, near Bristol. Aside from his grave, no other record exists to portray this young man’s life. Being born in 1702 and dying in 1720, at some point during his life, Scipio Africanus became the property of Charles William Howard, 7th Earl of Suffolk, the owner of the Henbury estate, through his marriage to Arabella Astry of Henbury Great House. As the Howard family had no known connection to the West Indies, we do not know how he came into the Earl’s ownership, or what the true nature of their relationship, although we can surmise that it was servile in nature, with Africanus perhaps being kept as a page boy in the Earl’s household.
Often church records and gravesites are all that remain to remind us of the historic Black presence in Britain, yet they stand testament to the richness, complexity and diversity of Britain’s history. We do not know the name or background of Scipio Africanus, or really how he came to be buried in a graveyard in rural England. The name of Scipio Africanus seems to have been part of a naming practice that existed between the enslaved and their masters , that of giving enslaved individuals the names of powerful people from history, in this case the name of Scipio Africanus, a Roman general. Such practices show the power imbalance that existed between the enslaved and the enslavers and can be seen as a form of ridicule, with examples including Olaudah Equiano, who was given the name of Gustavus Vassa, the King of Sweden.
Historians believe that in the 1700s the Black community in Bristol numbered in the several hundreds, growing to around 15,000 in the latter part of the century, with population concentrations in Bristol, Liverpool and London, with multiple primary and archival sources portraying a sizeable Black community in Bristol. However, no such records for exist for Scipio Africanus and his burial is not included in the Henbury parish register. Despite this, it clear that Lord Suffolk felt affection for Scipio Africanus as his gravestone is the most elaborate in the churchyard. His inscription reads thus;
“Here Lieth
the body of Scipio Africanus Negro servant to y Right
Honourable Charles William Earl of Suffolk and Bradon
who died y 21st December 1720 Aged 18 years.”
“I who was Born a PAGAN and a SLAVE
Now Sweetly Sleep a CHRISTIAN in my Grave
What tho my hue was dark my SAVIORS sight
Shall Change this darkness into radiant light
Such grace to me my Lord on earth has given
To recommend me to my Lord in heaven
Whose glorious second coming here I wait
With saints and Angels Him to celebrate.”
Not only does this suggest that Scipio Africanus converted to Christianity before his death, but also the belief that was prevalent at the time that Black people were spiritually inferior. It also highlights the benefits of his Christian faith, and stands as a testament to the presence and role of Black people in Bristol’s history.
The Brentry Certified Inebriate Reformatory
It all begins with an idea.
My next post is going to focus on the Brentry Certified Inebriate Reformatory, located in Brentry, Bristol. Built formerly as a country house for the Payne family in 1802, to the designs of Humphrey Repton and John Adey Repton, Brentry House was converted in 1898 when it became the Royal Victoria Home under the auspices of the Reverend Harold Nelson Burden and his wife Katharine Mary. Burden, an Anglican minister, began his evangelistic career in the East End of London, and eventually becoming the chaplain of Horfield Prison. It was the living conditions of the prisoners and their inebriated wives which led the Burdens establish homes for drunkards and the feeble minded.
In 1898 the Inebriates Act became law. Under this new law, an individual who “convicted on indictment of an offence punishable with imprisonment or penal servitude, if the court is satisfied from the evidence that the offence was committed under the influence of drink or that drunkenness was a contributing cause of the offence, and the offender admits that he is or is found by the jury to be a habitual drunkard, the court may, in addition to or in substitution for any other sentence, order that he be detained for a term not exceeding three years in any State inebriate reformatory or in any certified inebriate reformatory the managers of which are willing to receive him.”
The 1901 census for Westbury-on-Trym gives us a glimpse of life at the Reformatory. It seems from this census record that most of the inmates were women, as were most of the staff. They include individuals such as Mary Ann Harlow, of Tipton Staffordshire who on 26th June 1899 was convicted under the Inebriates Act, her 25th conviction. Reading through available primary source, it would seem that Mary Ann Harlow led a somewhat tragic life in the time leading up to her residence at Brentry, As this article in the Staffordshire Chronicle on 1st February 1896 states:
It is hard to know exactly what the circumstances were for Mary Ann Harlow to be incarcerated in the Reformatory, but the information that we have offers us a glimpse of the lives of such individuals.
21 Queen Square, Bath
It all begins with an idea.
Two weeks ago, for my birthday, I decided to visit the lovely city of Bath. One of the buildings that I came across is no. 21 on the wonderful Queen Square, area. A showpiece of Georgian architecture, Queen Square was built by John Wood the Elder between 1728-1735. It is possible that Queen Square was built in a rather piecemeal fashion, and we can’t be sure when no. 21 was built. However, looking through newspaper records and online census, throws a fascinating glimpse into the history of this building. In 1851, the census states that the house was a boarding house, run by Henry Perkins, 29, of Easington, Gloucestershire, with his wife Emma, aged 30. Resident with them are 7 visitors, and 5 servants. They include individuals such as Charles Eustace, 86, a landed proprietor from Ireland and William Isgrove, 27, a servant from Wells, Somerset.
An advertisement from 1859 searching for a headwaiter shows that No. 21 had been taken over by the Bath and County Club. The 1871 census suggests that the No. 21 Queen Square was lived in by the Dennis family, but by 1891 was lived John Gait, house steward and caterer, his wife Rhoda, daughter Mary and Son, Bertie, along with 8 servants. There were no guests resident at the time of the 1891 census.
Blog Post Title Four
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.