Commentary on ‘Of Africa's brightest ornaments’

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Notes

1 Kathy Chater worked at the BBC for thirteen years, doing research for programmes and in the training department. She is the author of Research for Media Production (Focal Press, 2nd edition, 2002) and Tracing Your Family Tree (Lorenz Books, 2003). She is now self-employed as a writer and trainer in research techniques while working part-time on a thesis about black people in England during the period of the British slave trade at Goldsmiths College.

2 www.oldbaileyonline.org has digitized and transcribed copies of the Proceedings of the Old Bailey 1660–1834. There are problems using this: not all black people are identified as such so the colour/ethnic origin of some has to be deduced. In addition, the word ‘black’ was applied to anyone with a dark skin.

3 Evans, J.A.H. ‘Nathaniel Wells of Piercefield and St Kitts: from slave to sheriff’ in the Monmouthshire Antiquarian. Eric Este sent me a reprint of this article: unfortunately the date of the journal was omitted.

4 The National Archives website on the black presence has sections only on The Black Poor and the Wealthy Few, <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/work_community/wealthy.htm>.

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Notes on contributors

Kathy Chater 1

1 Kathy Chater worked at the BBC for thirteen years, doing research for programmes and in the training department. She is the author of Research for Media Production (Focal Press, 2nd edition, 2002) and Tracing Your Family Tree (Lorenz Books, 2003). She is now self-employed as a writer and trainer in research techniques while working part-time on a thesis about black people in England during the period of the British slave trade at Goldsmiths College.