The recent discovery of John London, a black pub landlord who voted in a British election in 1749, offers a striking insight into a largely overlooked chapter of British history.
Voting in that era required the ownership of property above a certain value, so his case effectively highlights the existence of black members of the middle class during Georgian times.
This fact challenges the long-held assumption – often pushed by the Left – that black people in Britain have only ever been marginalised and disenfranchised. In fact, London’s ability to vote suggests a degree of social integration and prosperity for the capital’s estimated 10,000 black people at a time when the city’s total population was 700,000. It highlights a story that is often eclipsed by ideological narratives focusing solely on oppression.
Indeed, those activists who prioritise prejudice, exclusion, and failure present a one-dimensional view that does not fully capture the varied and often triumphant experiences of black Britons. While it is undeniable that racism and discrimination have shaped, and continue to shape, the lives of some black people in Britain, framing every hardship or disadvantage solely as the inevitable consequence of historic wrongs is disempowering and reductive. It tells a new generation that there is no point attempting to transcend your circumstances, as you’ll be burdened by your history.
It is only by chance that John London’s black heritage has been discovered. A tight result of a Westminster by-election was challenged. In the subsequent hearing – which confirmed he was qualified to vote as a ratepayer – a passing comment described London as a “blackamoor”, an old term for a black person.
There are other black figures in British history that complicate our binary understanding of the past. Olaudah Equiano, originally from the Eboe region of the Kingdom of Benin (now part of Nigeria), was enslaved as a child and taken to the Caribbean before being sold to a Royal Navy officer. After purchasing his freedom in 1766, he became an author and prominent figure in the British abolitionist movement. His life is a testament to the determination and fortitude that many black individuals displayed in the 18th century.
Or take Ayuba Suleiman Diallo’s story, a Fulani Muslim prince from West Africa. Diallo was himself a slave owner before being kidnapped and trafficked to the Americas. After gaining his freedom, he returned to his homeland, only to resume the practice of enslaving others.
It is vital to acknowledge and study the darker chapters of Britain’s racial history. But we must also be careful not to simplify. If we were once in danger of indulging in a misguided jingoism that overlooked Britain’s darker past, we now risk falling into the opposite trap: an unrelenting focus on historical and contemporary racism. Britain has, in many ways, performed better than most other nations in integrating black communities and offering opportunities for success.
To reduce the story of black Britons to one of unrelenting victimhood is not only a distortion of history but also a disservice to the many individuals who achieved great things in the face of adversity. It is time to embrace a more nuanced understanding, one that recognises both the injustices and the successes, and that allows for a fuller appreciation of the contributions and rejects pessimism and defeatism.