This Black History Month we have been looking into some of the black abolitionists that visited Calderdale in the mid 19th Century. They were mostly people who had escaped slavery in America and made their way to the UK, where they travelled around the country giving lectures about their experiences and campaigning for the abolition of slavery.
There is a fantastic online resource here which pinpoints the places a number of black abolitionists spoke in the UK.
https://frederickdouglassinbritain.com/Map:Abolitionists/
We used this as a starting point to identify some of the people who visited Calderdale and then searched for reports in the local newspapers. Some of the testimonials reported in these articles contain graphic descriptions of slavery and the reporting sometimes uses racist language and attitudes.
The first black abolitionist to visit Halifax was Moses Roper. He was born into chattel slavery in around 1815 in North Carolina. He was sold to another enslaver in Florida, where after numerous attempts, he escaped and made his way to New York. Fearful of being re-captured he boarded a ship bound for London. In 1838 he published ‘Narrative of the Adventures and Escape of Moses Roper from American Slavery’ and travelled extensively around the UK, lecturing mainly in non conformist churches.
In February 1840 he lectured at Harrison Road Chapel in Halifax
1856 saw William Craft speaking at Square Chapel in Halifax. William and his wife Ellen Craft were both born into slavery in Georgia. They escaped together in 1848 and made their way to the North. Ellen was light skinned and to make their escape, she disguised herself as a white man, with William travelling with her in the role of her slave. Their escape was widely publicised and following the passing of the fugitive slave act in 1850, which put them in significant danger of re-capture, they emigrated to England where they lived for 20 years.
In November 1856 William spoke of their escape from slavery at Square Chapel. On this occasion Ellen was not with him but they often travelled and lectured together.
Probably the most well known black abolitionist to lecture in Halifax was Frederick Douglass. He was named Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey by his mother Harriet Bailey, an enslaved woman. Douglass was sold and hired out several times but in 1837 he met and fell in love with Anna Murray, a free black woman. In 1838 he escaped to the North by boarding a train. The couple settled in Massachusetts and they took Douglass as their married name. In 1845 Douglass published his first autobiography ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave’ and shortly after travelled to Ireland and the UK for the first of his lecturing tours.
In 1859 Douglas returned to the UK. He lectured in the area several times, including in December 1859 when he appeared at the Mechanics Institute. The local papers reported his lectures in quite a lot of detail. This is just part of the report
1859 also saw Sarah Parker Remond speaking at Sion Chapel in Halifax. She was born free in Salem Massachusetts to a family of orators and anti slavery activists. She made her first public speech against slavery when she was 16 years old and became a representative of the American Anti Slavery Society. She travelled to England in 1858 to gather support for the abolitionist movement. In June 1859 she spoke at Sion Chapel in Halifax
The person who lectured most widely in the area was James Watkins. He spoke all around Northern England. He was born into slavery in around 1823 and named Sam Berry. His mother was Micah Berry and his father the overseer of the plantation. He escaped slavery in 1848 and changed his name to James Watkins to avoid detection. Following the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 he sailed to England and began to give abolitionist lectures. He spoke in many locations throughout Calderdale including Brighouse, Stainland, Sowerby Bridge, Luddenden and Todmorden. In 1860 he gave a lecture in Hebden Bridge
This is just a snap shot of some of the black abolitionists who visited Calderdale. There is much more research to be done and more people to find out about. Thanks to Dan Whittall for telling me about Sarah Parker Remond.
Useful Resources:
Books held by library:
Frederick Douglass: My Bondage and My Freedom. Edited by Celeste-Marie Bernie
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (e copy available through Libby)
Frederick Douglass in Britain and Ireland. Edited by Hannah-Rose Murray and John R McKivigan
Black and British: A forgotten History by David Olusoga
African and Caribbean People in Britain; A History by Hakim Adi
Newspaper Resources:
British Newspaper Archives
Some of the local papers for this period are digitised on the British Newspaper Archives. You can access this database in the larger Calderdale Libraries.
19th Century British Newspapers
Includes some regional newspapers such as the Leeds Mercury that often recorded Halifax events. It is available in Calderdale Libraries and at home with a Calderdale library card.
Newspapers on Microfilm
We have an extensive collection of local newspapers on microfilm. Available in Local Studies at Central Library.
Online Resources
Frederick Douglas in Britain.
https://frederickdouglassinbritain.com/Map:FrederickDouglass/
Centre for the Studies of Legacies of British Slavery
Calderdale Local Studies Library 