|
One
of the legacies of black presence in Britain is the modern wealth
and prosperity of cities, such as Liverpool and Bristol, that were
built on the profits of the slave trade.
However,
Tyneside played an influential role in the abolition of slavery.
There
had been a recent and dramatic experience of English white working
class solidarity with the 'black cause' - the abolition of slavery
in the United States.
Much
has been chronicled about American abolitionists and fugitive slaves
who made frequent trips to Tyneside to speak at meetings held by
the Gateshead and Newcastle Anti-Slavery Society.
Tyneside Cottons on
 |
| Poster advertising an Anti-slavery
meeting |
When
the workers of the Lancashire cotton mills lent material support
to the anti-slavery cause, they found solidarity on Tyneside.
A great
effort was launched to collect money and clothing to sustain Lancashire
cotton workers.
However,
Newcastle magistrates refused a licence to the Tyne Concert Hall
for a benefit night in aid of the Lancashire Distress Fund.
This
was just one example of the Tyne Concert Hall's long running battle
with the Magistrates over 'unbecoming activities'.
Tyneside
Against Racism
Racism was evident on Tyneside about this time, but there were a
number of liberal journalists, working for the Newcastle Daily Chronicle
(today's Evening Chronicle) who spoke out against hostility towards
black people.
| "We
deplore the prejudice against colour, and we are severely censorious
towards those who exhibit it." |
| Newcastle
Daily Chronicle, January 1865 |
In
early Victorian times, Britain's black population mainly consisted
of African and Arabic sailors and black refugees who had fought
for George III in the American Civil War.
The
predominantly male, black population integrated and intermarried
into poor white urban populations.
Minstrels
and Midfielder's
Throughout
Victorian Britain, many Black people in were involved in sports
and entertainment.
 |
| Aboriginal Cricketers Touring
1868-7 |
In
1868 very first Australian cricket team to visit England was Aboriginal.
They played a match at North Shields, enthralling crowds with displays
of boomerang throwing as well as cricket.
Earlier, in 1862, an American touring concert party, The Real Blacks,
challenged local cricketer's to a match on Newcastle's Town Moor,
and won.
The
Black Diamond of Seaton Burn
 |
| The
Black Diamond |
A black
boxer who lived in the village of Seaton Burn in the eighteen century.
Detail taken from WC Irving's painting of 'The Blaydon Races'.
Many black people arrived in Britain out of desperate bids for personal
freedom.
The
Tyne Concert Hall
The
Tyne Concert Hall, Nelson Street, Newcastle was a principle centre
for working-class entertainment, and the usual venue for black artists.
In
1861, The Original African Opera Troupe, raised funds for Newcastle
Infirmary at a charity benefit, returning in 1862 and sang extracts
from Italian operas.
 |
| The Tyne Concert Hall, Nelson
Street, Newcastle |
The
Female Christi Minstrels were seven young black women who came to
Newcastle in 1860, spicing their act with political jokes.
Black
entertainers continued to be engaged on a regular basis at the Tyne
Concert Hall right through the 1860's.
The Ohio Minstrels, a group of ex slaves, caused much concern with
the local Tories and Whigs who could not stand the Hall's 'radical
proprietor'.
听
|
