Scipio Africanus (slave): Difference between revisions
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[[File:Scipio Africanus grave.jpg|thumb|The grave of Scipio Africanus, [[Henbury]], [[Bristol]], [[England]]]] |
[[File:Scipio Africanus grave.jpg|thumb|The grave of Scipio Africanus, [[Henbury, Bristol|Henbury]], [[Bristol]], [[England]]]] |
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'''Scipio Africanus''' (c. 1702 – 21 December 1720) was a [[slavery|slave]] born to unknown parents from [[West Africa]]. He was named after [[Scipio Africanus|Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus]], the |
'''Scipio Africanus''' (c. 1702 – 21 December 1720) was a former [[slavery|slave]] born to unknown parents from [[West Africa]]. He was named after [[Scipio Africanus|Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus]] (236/235–183 BC), the famous Roman general who defeated the [[Carthage|Carthaginian]] military leader [[Hannibal]]. |
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==Life== |
==Life== |
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Very little is known of Africanus' life. He was |
Very little is known of Africanus' life. He was a former slave (since as the courts were to hold in [[Somersett's Case]] (1772), slavery did not exist in Great Britain under English common law) in the household of [[Charles Howard, 7th Earl of Suffolk|Charles William Howard, 7th Earl of Suffolk]], who lived in the "Great House" in [[Henbury, Bristol|Henbury]], [[Bristol]]. It is not clear how he came to the household; historians believe that he may have been born into the household as the son of an enslaved West African woman, and named by Howard.<ref name=":0">{{Cite ODNB|last=Macquiban|first=Tim|date=23 September 2004|title=Africanus, Scipio (c. 1702–1720), servant|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-56658|access-date=2020-06-19|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/56658|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> One biographer has suggested that Africanus' name implies that Howard intended to free him for loyal service because the Roman historian [[Polybius]] wrote about how the Roman general Africanus freed people he had enslaved who promised to work hard.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Historians believe that he may have been born into the household as the son of an enslaved West African woman, and named by Howard.<ref name=":1" /> One biographer has suggested that Africanus' name implies that Howard intended to free him for loyal service because the Roman historian [[Polybius]] wrote about how the Roman general Africanus freed people he had enslaved who promised to work hard.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Africanus died in the Great House aged eighteen.<ref name=":0" /> |
Africanus died in the Great House aged eighteen.<ref name=":0" /> |
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==Grave== |
==Grave== |
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[[File:Scipio Africanus grave Henbury Bristol England arp.jpg|thumb|A general view of the grave of Scipio]] |
[[File:Scipio Africanus grave Henbury Bristol England arp.jpg|thumb|A general view of the grave of Scipio]] |
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He is remembered because of the elaborate [[Grave (burial)|grave]], consisting of painted [[headstone]] and [[footstone]], in the churchyard of [[St Mary's Church, Henbury|St Mary's]] in [[Henbury]]. The grave is [[grade II* listed]].<ref>{{NHLE |num=1205137 |desc=Memorial to Scipio Africanus 10 metres north west of south porch of Church of St Mary |accessdate=24 September 2016 }}</ref> Both stones feature black [[cherub]]s and the footstone bears the [[epitaph]]: |
He is remembered because of the elaborate [[Grave (burial)|grave]], consisting of painted [[headstone]] and [[footstone]], in the churchyard of [[St Mary's Church, Henbury|St Mary's]] in [[Henbury, Bristol|Henbury]]. The grave is [[grade II* listed]].<ref>{{NHLE |num=1205137 |desc=Memorial to Scipio Africanus 10 metres north west of south porch of Church of St Mary |accessdate=24 September 2016 }}</ref> Both stones feature black [[cherub]]s and the footstone bears the [[epitaph]]: |
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{{poemquote| |
{{poemquote| |
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With saints and Angels Him to celebrate}} |
With saints and Angels Him to celebrate}} |
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It is thought that 10,000 [[Black people|black]] slaves and servants were in [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]] in the early 18th century, but this is one of the very few memorials to them. Despite the quality of the memorial, there is no record of his burial in the church registers.<ref>{{cite web | title=The 18th century: church records | work=Discovering Bristol | url=http://discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/after-slavery/bristol-in-black-and-white/african-caribbean-bristol/the-18th-century-church-records/ | |
It is thought that 10,000 [[Black people|black]] slaves and servants were in [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]] in the early 18th century, but this is one of the very few memorials to them. Despite the quality of the memorial, there is no record of his burial in the church registers.<ref>{{cite web | title=The 18th century: church records | work=Discovering Bristol | url=http://discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/after-slavery/bristol-in-black-and-white/african-caribbean-bristol/the-18th-century-church-records/ | access-date=1 August 2013}}</ref> |
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=== 2020 Vandalism === |
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| ⚫ | Sometime between 16 and 17 June 2020 the headstone was |
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| ⚫ | Sometime between 16 and 17 June 2020 the headstone was smashed in two, with a message left nearby in chalk suggesting that the vandalism was in retaliation for the pulling down of the [[statue of Edward Colston]] by Black Lives Matter protestors, as well as the proposed removal of the gravestone of music hall blackface artist [[G H Elliott]]:<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Enslaved African man's headstone in Bristol vandalised |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-53089528 |work=BBC News|date=18 June 2020|access-date=18 June 2020}}</ref><ref name=post>{{cite web |last=Cameron |first=Amanda |title=Headstone of an enslaved African vandalised with message 'look at what you made me do' |url=https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/headstone-enslaved-african-vandalised-message-4238147 |work=Bristol Live |date=18 June 2020|access-date=18 June 2020}}</ref> |
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{{quote|Now look at what you made me do. Stop protesting. Leave Elliott’s grave alone. Put Colston’s statue back or things will really heat up.<ref name=post />}} |
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The memorial was restored and put back in place in 2021.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bristol vandalism: Enslaved African man's grave restored|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-58675980|website=BBC News|date=24 September 2021}}</ref> |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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The author [[Eugene Byrne]] featured Scipio Africanus in his 2001 [[alternate history|alternative history]] novel ''Things Unborn''. In this novel people who had suffered an untimely death were [[Reincarnation|reincarnated]] in an England recovering from a [[nuclear war]]; Scipio Africanus was a famous war hero and a detective inspector in the [[Metropolitan Police]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Silver|first=Steven H.|title=Eugene Byrne: Things Unborn|url= |
The author [[Eugene Byrne]] featured Scipio Africanus in his 2001 [[alternate history|alternative history]] novel ''Things Unborn''. In this novel people who had suffered an untimely death were [[Reincarnation|reincarnated]] in an England recovering from a [[nuclear war]]; Scipio Africanus was a famous war hero and a detective inspector in the [[Metropolitan Police]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Silver|first=Steven H.|title=Eugene Byrne: Things Unborn|url=http://www.stevenhsilver.com/unborn.html|work=SF Site|access-date=24 October 2015}}</ref> |
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The Bristol-based reggae band [[Black Roots (band)|Black Roots]] wrote a song about Scipio Africanus which they performed live at Trinity Hall, Bristol on [[Channel 4]]'s 10-part series ''Rockers Roadshow'', produced by Mike Wallington and hosted by [[Mikey Dread]] in the 1980s. They featured a short scene of the grave.<ref>{{cite web|title=Black Roots|url=https://www.atpfestival.com/artist/blackroots|publisher=All Tomorrow's Parties| |
The Bristol-based reggae band [[Black Roots (band)|Black Roots]] wrote a song about Scipio Africanus which they performed live at Trinity Hall, Bristol on [[Channel 4]]'s 10-part series ''Rockers Roadshow'', produced by Mike Wallington and hosted by [[Mikey Dread]] in the 1980s. They featured a short scene of the grave.<ref>{{cite web|title=Black Roots|url=https://www.atpfestival.com/artist/blackroots|publisher=All Tomorrow's Parties|access-date=24 October 2015}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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<references/> |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://www.blackpresence.co.uk/slave-graves/ The Graves of Slaves & other Black People in 18th Century Britain] |
*[http://www.blackpresence.co.uk/slave-graves/ The Graves of Slaves & other Black People in 18th Century Britain] |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Africanus, Scipio}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Africanus, Scipio}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1700s births]] |
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[[Category:1720 deaths]] |
[[Category:1720 deaths]] |
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[[Category:18th century in Bristol]] |
[[Category:18th century in Bristol]] |
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[[Category:Black British former slaves]] |
[[Category:Black British former slaves]] |
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[[Category:British former slaves]] |
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[[Category:British Christians]] |
[[Category:British Christians]] |
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[[Category:Converts to Christianity from pagan religions]] |
[[Category:Converts to Christianity from pagan religions]] |
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[[Category:Date of birth unknown]] |
[[Category:Date of birth unknown]] |
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[[Category:Henbury]] |
[[Category:Henbury]] |
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[[Category:18th-century slaves]] |
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Latest revision as of 14:08, 19 November 2024
Scipio Africanus (c. 1702 – 21 December 1720) was a former slave born to unknown parents from West Africa. He was named after Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (236/235–183 BC), the famous Roman general who defeated the Carthaginian military leader Hannibal.
Life
[edit]Very little is known of Africanus' life. He was a former slave (since as the courts were to hold in Somersett's Case (1772), slavery did not exist in Great Britain under English common law) in the household of Charles William Howard, 7th Earl of Suffolk, who lived in the "Great House" in Henbury, Bristol. It is not clear how he came to the household; historians believe that he may have been born into the household as the son of an enslaved West African woman, and named by Howard.[1][2] One biographer has suggested that Africanus' name implies that Howard intended to free him for loyal service because the Roman historian Polybius wrote about how the Roman general Africanus freed people he had enslaved who promised to work hard.[1]
Africanus died in the Great House aged eighteen.[1]
Grave
[edit]
He is remembered because of the elaborate grave, consisting of painted headstone and footstone, in the churchyard of St Mary's in Henbury. The grave is grade II* listed.[3] Both stones feature black cherubs and the footstone bears the epitaph:
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
It is thought that 10,000 black slaves and servants were in Britain in the early 18th century, but this is one of the very few memorials to them. Despite the quality of the memorial, there is no record of his burial in the church registers.[4]
2020 Vandalism
[edit]Sometime between 16 and 17 June 2020 the headstone was smashed in two, with a message left nearby in chalk suggesting that the vandalism was in retaliation for the pulling down of the statue of Edward Colston by Black Lives Matter protestors, as well as the proposed removal of the gravestone of music hall blackface artist G H Elliott:[2][5]
Now look at what you made me do. Stop protesting. Leave Elliott’s grave alone. Put Colston’s statue back or things will really heat up.[5]
The memorial was restored and put back in place in 2021.[6]
Legacy
[edit]The author Eugene Byrne featured Scipio Africanus in his 2001 alternative history novel Things Unborn. In this novel people who had suffered an untimely death were reincarnated in an England recovering from a nuclear war; Scipio Africanus was a famous war hero and a detective inspector in the Metropolitan Police.[7]
The Bristol-based reggae band Black Roots wrote a song about Scipio Africanus which they performed live at Trinity Hall, Bristol on Channel 4's 10-part series Rockers Roadshow, produced by Mike Wallington and hosted by Mikey Dread in the 1980s. They featured a short scene of the grave.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Macquiban, Tim (23 September 2004). "Africanus, Scipio (c. 1702–1720), servant". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/56658. Retrieved 19 June 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b "Enslaved African man's headstone in Bristol vandalised". BBC News. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ Historic England. "Memorial to Scipio Africanus 10 metres north west of south porch of Church of St Mary (1205137)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ^ "The 18th century: church records". Discovering Bristol. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ a b Cameron, Amanda (18 June 2020). "Headstone of an enslaved African vandalised with message 'look at what you made me do'". Bristol Live. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ "Bristol vandalism: Enslaved African man's grave restored". BBC News. 24 September 2021.
- ^ Silver, Steven H. "Eugene Byrne: Things Unborn". SF Site. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ^ "Black Roots". All Tomorrow's Parties. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
External links
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