Black And British: A Forgotten History - Media Centre - BBC

During the 3rd century AD, a unit of North African Roman soldiers was garrisoned in a fort here, making this the first known African community in Britain. BlackAndBritish:AForgottenHistoryEp.1/4-HistorianDavidOlusogaexplorestheenduringrelationshipbetweenBritainandpeoplewhoseoriginslieinAfrica.FromtheAfricantrumpeterintheTudorCourtstoQueenVictoria’sAfricanGoddaughter,it’sahistorythathasalmostbeenforgotten.Inthisseries,Davidputstherecordstraight,whileatthesametimeerecting20plaquesacrossBritain,AfricaandtheCaribbean,commemoratingsignificantpeopleandevents.ThestorybeginsintheCumbrianvillageofBurgh-by-SandsnearthewesternendofHadrian’sWall.Duringthe3rdcenturyAD,aunitofNorthAfricanRomansoldierswasgarrisonedinaforthere,makingthisthefirstknownAfricancommunityinBritain.Alongsidethelocalcommunity,Davidmarksthevillage’suniqueplaceinblackBritishhistorywiththefirstoftheseries’plaques. EmergingevidenceshowsthattheAfricanRomansraisedfamiliesheretoo.InEastbourne,Davidcomesfacetofacewith‘BeachyHeadWoman’.Theremainsofanancient,mysteriousskeleton,nicknamedBeachyHeadWoman,areputunderforensicandisotopicanalysisinordertoreconstructheridentity.ThisanalysisrevealsthatshewasofAfricandescentyetraisedinEastSussex.DavidalsoexamineshowdiversetheRomantownofYorkcouldhavebeen. Davidconsiderswhythere’snovisibletraceofthesepopulationstoday.HefindstheanswerinanencounterwithCedricBarber,anostensiblywhitemanwhosegreat,great,greatgrandfatherwasablackGeorgian.Throughintermarriage,Cedric’sblackheritagehasallbutvanished.DavidlooksatevidencethatsuggestsmanywhiteBritonsmayhavehiddenblackancestry. WithavisittoHerefordCathedral’searly14thcenturyMappaMundi,Davidexploreshow,duringtheMiddleAges,Africawasperceivedasalandofsplendourandriches.Centurieslater,theserumoursinspiredthefirstTudormerchantstoreachWestAfrica.Davidfollowsintheirfootsteps;attheprocessionoftheAshantikinginGhana,hewitnessesalavishdisplayofgold. JustasthefirstseedsofanequaltradingrelationshipbetweenBritainandAfricaweretakingroot,adevastatingnewchapterintheblackhistoryofBritainwasabouttoopen.WithinadecadeoftheEnglisharrivinginAfrica,thefirstEnglishslave-tradingvoyagehadtakenplace.Incenturiestocome,thistradewouldconsumethelivesofmillionsofAfricans.Publicitycontact:KMChannelDateWednesday,9November2016Time9:00PM-10:00PMWeek45 ExploretheBBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsCBBCCBeebiesFoodBitesizeArtsTasterLocalThree