A while ago I spent some time looking into the history of Sir Pedro Negro, a Spanish mercenary soldier who served Henry VIII in his Scottish wars and was knighted by Protector Somerset in 1548. 
There was some dispute about what colour his skin was. So I dug about and found his coat of arms, his will and a strange letter written  in 1549 by Marion, Lady Hume,  which refers to a 'Mour'... 

My article, 'Sir Pedro Negro: what colour was his skin?' originally published in Notes & Queries in 2008, has now been posted on www.blackpresence.co.uk , a great site which aims to bring together information about Black British History and make it freely available online.

Excited to see that my article on Africans in Early Modern London is now online.  


The London Metropolitan Archives are a great place to research, with friendly and helpful staff  and quite a variety of records- recently augmented by the transfer of records from the Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section, which is where I first went to search for Africans in parish registers. 


Read my article to find out more about Helen Jeronimo, suspected of stealing ‘14 bookes of callikoe, 26 pieces of pachers and 108 lb. of suger’ from a merchant named Francis Pinto, her husband  Thomas Jeronimo 'mariner and moor' and other stories of Africans in Early Modern London that I found in the archives...

When I heard Todd Akin assert that pregnancy as a result of rape is “really rare” and that "from what I understand from doctors":

"If it is a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down," I  wondered which doctors he'd been speaking to. 

The last time I’d heard such a theory was when reading early modern English social history books. I wasn’t the only one- Guardian blogger Vanessa Heggie traces the “legal position that pregnancy disproved a claim of rape” back to the 13th century. I remember being horrified when I first read that a 16th century rape victim had no case if she became pregnant.

In fact the medical theory on which this law was based is even older. As Corrine Saunders explains in her book Rape and Ravishment in the Literature of Medieval England:

“One widely circulated medical theory, based on the ideas of Galen, held that women as well as men emitted seed, and therefore that only when an emission was made, through orgasm, could conception occur: Failure of either partner to achieve orgasm rendered intercourse nonprocreative... According to the Galenic theory of conception, for pregnancy to occur as a result of rape was impossible...”

As Galen lived from 129 –c. 200 AD, we can see that these ideas have been in circulation since ancient times.
  But even more disturbingly, Akin is not the only modern man to have espoused such ancient views regarding female biology, as Robert Mackey demonstrates in his latest blog for the New York Times.  

I thought it was fascinating that the works of Galen could continue to have currency as late as the Tudor and Stuart period that I’ve studied. It’s even more surprising to see men dangerously innocent of modern biology today. 

My thesis 'Africans in Britain, 1500-1640' is now available to read in the Bodleian library. You can access the listing on SOLO [Search Oxford Libraries Online] or read the short abstract. 

I found records of over 350 Africans in Early Modern Britain in the course of my research, and used them to consider questions including how Africans came to Britain, what work they did, their religious and social experience and their status in the eyes of the law. My thesis includes an appendix listing all the  evidence I found of Africans in a wide range of sources from parish registers to court records.

I sent the following letter to the BBC via their website, after Wood's article was published on 20th July 2012, but have received no response.  As I explain, it was great that they ran the article on this fascinating subject, but there is more to say:

                                                                                                                      London, 27th July 2012
Dear BBC News Magazine,

I was pleased to see Michael Wood’s article on ‘Britain's first black community in Elizabethan London’ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18903391) on your magazine last week, as it brought a fascinating subject to your readers’ attention (in much greater depth than that night’s Great British Story). 

However, I feel that it did not tell the whole story. Having recently completed a D.Phil. thesis on ‘Africans in Britain, 1500-1640’ at Oxford University, in which I found evidence of over 350 Africans living in Britain during that time, I wanted to add to and comment on what Wood had to say. 

Firstly, I would question Wood’s use of the term “community”. How do you define “community”? A handful of people living in the same area? Though they may have had the same colour skin, they may not have socialised, or even spoken the same language. Kathy Chater’s book Untold Histories, on the 18th century black population questions the use of this term even then. 

My study showed that not only were Africans in Britain not slaves, but some were paid wages or even worked independently as craftsmen (I found a needlemaker and a silkweaver) or died leaving property.

They were not just musicians before Elizabeth I’s reign. Some were courtiers, but there was also a soldier in Exeter in 1522, a man buried in Northamptonshire in 1545, a diver in Southampton in 1547-8 and a needlemaker in Cheapside c.1554-8. 

Africans were not only living in London- they were in Southampton, Bristol and Plymouth, but also in less likely places, from Hull to tiny villages like Stowell in Somerset or Bluntisham-cum-Earith in Cambridgeshire. 

Wood asserts that two of Shakespeare’s greatest characters are black. We can assume he means Othello and...Aaron from Titus Andronicus? The latter is not usually described as “great”- as he is cruel, lascivious and murderous- even killing his own son!

The discussion of ‘Lucy Negro’ is misleading and conflates various unrelated biographies. This was a fairly common nickname, given to various women with dark hair in the literature and records of the period. There is no evidence of a real African woman of this name. In fact I found more evidence of African men using London prostitutes than African women working as prostitutes. 

In his comments on the attempt to transport Africans to Lisbon in 1596 and 1601, Wood concludes “Whether this actually happened is unclear.” In fact another letter in the Hatfield archives, from the merchant who had petitioned for permission to transport the Africans, Caspar Van Senden, shows that he was unsuccessful, as I explain in my full analysis of the situation in my article  ‘Caspar Van Senden, Sir Thomas Sherley and the “Blackamoor” project’, Historical Research, 81, no.212 (May 2008), pp. 366-371.


Some factual errors:
The”1602” letter of Denis Edwardes that Wood uses to prove Turnbull Street’s notoriety was in fact written in May 1599 (It is at The National Archives, TNA, SP 12/270/119). 

The figure of 20,000 black servants in 18th century London was suggested by the 
Gentleman’s Magazine in 1764. Modern estimates are more conservative, putting the figure at between 10,000-15,000. 

Wood says that “In 1599, for example, in St Olave Hart Street, John Cathman married Constantia "a black woman and servant".” Where is this quote from? The parish register (http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/baentries.htm) says only that her surname was “Negrea”- I wasn’t sure this was clearly an African.  I did however find 6 other records of marriages, 3 inter-racial (including 1617 Curres/Person mentioned here) and 3 between two black partners. 

I would like to end by thanking Michael Wood and the editor that commissioned him for bringing this subject to greater prominence- the article has at time of writing been shared 3487 times, and no doubt many more saw the TV programme. I realise that a short article cannot do the subject justice, and hope that further airtime will be given to this vital part of our shared history in the future. 

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Miranda Kaufmann

As Editorial assistant for Diplomat Magazine in July, I reported on some interesting events, including Breakfasts addressed by MPs and foreign minsters, attended by London's diplomats and the opening of South Africa's Ekhaya, or Olympic Home from Home. 

Diplomat Magazine is 65 years old this year and aimed at the  diplomatic community in London, which includes the heads of mission and diplomats at the capital's 162 Embassies and High Commissions and MPs and members of the House of Lords dealing with Foreign affairs.

You can read the reports here:

Ekhaya Centre Opens on London's Southbank, Diplomatmagazine,com,  27 July 2012. 

South African Sports Minister opened the Ekhaya centre last night, which will provide a home from home for South Africans and showcase their culture, reports Miranda Kaufmann.

On a hot sunny evening, a large drum was placed outside the door to Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's Southbank. It still had its luggage tag with LHR for London Heathrow clearly printed on it. It was closely followed by the Dance Africa Dance troupe, also fresh off the plane from Johannesburg. They danced and sang and crowds gathered to watch the colourful spectacle. Soon, the South African Minister for Sport and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula arrived and cut the yellow ribbon, formally opening the Ekhaya.

Ekhaya is a Nguni word meaning 'home' and the South Africans have set up camp in the Queen Elizabeth Hall for the duration of the Games to create a 'home from home' for athletes, supporters and ex-pats, filled with South African art and culture and a programme of events and entertainment to not only make South Africans feel at home, but also to showcase what South Africa has to offer to the world.

The show began immediately, as the rousing music of Vusi Mahlasela struck up inside and the minister, and other dignitaries including High Commissioner Dr Zola Skweyiya, South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) President Gideon Sam and Chef de Mission Patience Shikwambana were shown around the centre, which had been painted bright yellow and was full of art and crafts from South Africa's nine different provinces, displayed in the aptly-named Beautiful Things exhibition.

There followed some speeches of thanks and then the  South African High Commissioner, Dr Zola Skweyiya took to the podium to say that his countrymen should be proud, not afraid, to be known as South Africans.

Then SASCOC President Gideon Sam said that, just as many years ago, the English came to Africa, South Africa was now annexing a small part of the United Kingdom.  He joked that he couldn't guarantee when they would be giving it back. Although they were only staying for a couple of weeks, they would make their presence felt.  He added some advice for those facing transport problems during the Games:  Grab a horse from a policeman!

In a spirited, rousing and heartfelt address, Sports Minister Mbalula explained that the Ekhaya was an opportunity to tell South Africa's story to the world.  He recalled that Londoners had stood side by side with South Africans in the battle against apartheid, staging many protests in Trafalgar Square. No longer battered and tortured, South Africa is now a nation with dreams.  Their Olympic athletes have been released like free birds, empowered by the spirit of Nelson Mandela. Inspired by recent victories in the British Open golf championships and Test Cricket, they are now aiming to take at least 12 medals home.

The speeches were followed by cocktails in the St Paul's pavilion. The Ekhaya Hospitality Centre will be open daily from 10am until the end of the Paralympic games, with a lively calendar of cultural events, ranging from music from world-renowned acts including Vusi Mahlasela, Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse, Thandiswa Mazwai, the Parlotones, Ringo, Tamara Dey, Dance Africa Dance and Mapantsula to screenings of South African films, South African comedy acts and a South African fashion show.

Diplomat Breakfast with Djibouti Finance Minister

Diplomatmagazine.com,  13 July 2012. 

This morning APCO Worldwide and Diplomat magazine hosted a Breakfast Roundtable at APCO Worldwide’s offices on Long Acre with the Djibouti Minister for the Economy, Finance, Industry and Planning, Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh.  Over a generous selection of coffee, teas, pastries and fruit, the Minister abandoned his native French to address the international audience in fluent English.

This was Dawaleh’s first visit to London as Minister and forms part of a tour of English-speaking nations to put Djibouti on the map. A small country of 23,000 square meters, with a population of less than one million, limited resources and 45 degree summers, it is Djibouti’s geostrategic position that is its greatest asset. With major ports situated at the crux of three continents, Djibouti has French, German, US and Japanese military bases and is the headquarters of the Atalante mission, an EU mission coordinating the fight against piracy. A new Regional Anti-Piracy Institute is due to open there by the end of year, making it a key actor in international security and the fight against terrorism and piracy. 

Djibouti also plays a central role in international trade, with 80% of the world’s oil trade and one third of all international trade passing through the region. It has the largest container terminal in east Africa, with one million containers being processed there each year, and has the biggest fibre-optic cable network in Africa, making it vital to continental progress in telecommunications.

Dawaleh outlined his country’s vision for 2035. Building on existing strengths, Djibouti aims to become the largest logistic hub in Africa, using 100% green energy. Also, they hope to become the number two destination in the world for scuba diving, after Sharm-el-Sheik. The key to these ambitions is to improve Africa’s poor infrastructure, which Dawaleh identified as being a root cause of poverty. Becoming better connected will help to change that and combat the challenge of youth unemployment. The ICT sector will provide much needed jobs. Erickson is one company that has come to Djibouti. In the past, education in Djibouti has favoured the theoretical over the vocational: in future, young people will be trained in the practical skills required to help take their country forward.

The talk was attended by Inspector General Hassan Issa Sultan, the Ambassadors of Finland and Ethiopia, the High Commissioner for Cameroon and diplomatic representatives from Australia, Nigeria, British Virgin Islands, the Czech Republic and others.

The Finnish Ambassador, His Excellency Mr Pekka Huhtaniemi, identified a ‘hub’ strategy, and enquired whether Djibouti saw places such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Panama as role models, and asked about the role of financial services. The Minister felt Singapore was the closest model for Djibouti and stressed that good infrastructure was vital to developing financial services. He indentified the stable currency in Djibouti as a major advantage: there has been no fluctuation in the exchange rate with the $US since 1949. ($1 = 1.76 Djibouti Francs).

The High Commissioner of Cameroon, His Excellency Mr Nkwelle Ekaney, asked about the need for foreign investment in infrastructure. Dawaleh agreed that foreign direct investment was needed and confirmed that Djibouti had recently made a $300 million investment agreement with the Chinese government.  

APCO's Tomas Eymond-Laritaz asked about the democratic future of the country where the Government lost a regional election in Djibouti City (home to 80% of the country’s population) three months ago. The Minister said that at the next elections in January 2013, a move to proportional representation should allow a minority opposition to emerge. Ultimately, Djibouti’s vision for 2035 relies on peace and political stability and developing a better infrastructure to enable it to make even better international connections.

YDL – Diplomat magazine Breakfast with MP Nadhim Zahawi

Diplomatmagazine.com, 5 July 2012. 

This morning Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi addressed young diplomats on “The Arab Spring and its implications for the UK and Europe” at the YDL – Diplomat magazine Breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Hotel - The Churchill.

Prior to being elected MP for Stratford on Avon in May 2010, Zahawi was an award-winning businessman, CEO of YouGov, with the unusual distinction of having won an award for Craziest Parking ticket in 2004, when after a crash, his bike got an £100 fine as he lay in the back of an ambulance.

This morning, in a brief address, Zahawi outlined three main ways in which the Arab spring would affect the UK and Europe: disruption of the oil trade; a significant rise in immigration through Turkey to Greece, and the continued threat of war in Syria, which could escalate to involve neighbouring Lebanon and become a proxy-war, waged between Iran and Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Such a conflict could polarise world opinion, provoking high-scale intervention.

He strongly asserted the importance of allowing democracy to develop organically, at a pace that is right for each country. After all, he remarked, it took 713 years for the UK to become a “fully-fledged” democracy- from signing Magna Carta in 1215 to giving votes to women in 1928.

H.E. Werner Matías Romero, the Ambassador for El Salvador asked what sort of timetable Zahawi had in mind, given that South America, which was more like Europe than the Middle East, was still far from ideal in democratic terms.

In response, Zadawi, referencing Gary Marcus’s Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind (2008), suggested that it was necessary for voters to move past the instinctive choice of strong leaders, to make more rational, educated choices.

The MP also highlighted the work of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, which aims to give emerging democracies a helping hand by sharing knowledge, as in this recent project to give Iraqi people a voice.

Counsellor Ara Margarian of Armenia asked what lay in store for the Christian minorities in the region, and whether they were likely to suffer the same fate as those driven out of Iraq. Zadawi, whose own Kurdish parents fled the persecution of Saddam Hussein, commented that he had observed positive steps taken in Iraq to protect the remaining Christian population.

Zahawi admitted that he didn’t have all the answers, but he certainly provoked some interesting questions and this YDL – Diplomat magazine Breakfast gave all who attended food for thought (besides the croissants).

Just making a few final tweaks before sending my first website into the world! Exciting times!