Pablo Fanque, 1810–71
Place of birth: Norwich, UK

From a young age Fanque became an apprentice of a circus propietor, William Batty. Fanque became an expert in various circus skills and became a skillful circus performer. In 1841 Fanque created a circus of his own.

His circus toured across England and became what was one of the most popular circus' in the Victorian period. Pablo Fanque is currently known to be Britain's first black circus proprietor. Fanque died in Stockport in 1871 and is buried at Leeds' Woodhouse Cemetery.

Mary Prince, 1788–1833
Place of birth: Bermuda, West Indies

Prince was born into slavery and became the ‘property’ of multiple enslavers. In 1826 she married a former enslaved man and received brutal punishment as a consequence. After travelling to England in 1828, Prince successfully ran away from her enslavers. Upon acquiring freedom, she campaigned for the abolishment of slavery with the Anti-Slavery Society in England.

Prince presented her brutal first-hand experiences of slavery to the English public as a means of revealing the atrocities of slavery. Prince then became the first woman to present a petition against slavery to Parliament. In 1831 she published her autobiography, making her the first known Black woman in England to publish an autobiography.

Joseph Antonio Emidy, 1755–1855
Place of birth: Guinea, West Africa

Emidy was sold into slavery at a young age and was taken to Brazil, South America. It is thought that his slave master taught him to play the fiddle. Whilst excelling in playing instruments, Emidy was taken to Portugal and played the violin with the Lisbon Opera Orchestra in 1795.

Impressed by Emidy's talents, Edward Pellew - a British Navy Captain, forced Emidy to join his ship as a violinist. Four years later in 1799, Pellew grew tired of Emidy and abandoned him in Falmouth, England. Emidy then played and taught the violin in order to make a living. Emidy later became the leader of the Truro Philharmonic Orchestra and composed several pieces of music.

Ignatius Sancho, 1729–80
Place of birth: Atlantic Ocean

Sancho’s mother gave birth to him on board a slave ship in the Atlantic Ocean en route to the West Indies from Guinea, West Africa in 1729. After becoming orphaned at the age of two, Sancho was taken to London, England where he worked as a child slave for three sisters in Greenwich. Whilst working for the sisters, Sancho befriended John Montagu, a duke who encouraged his reading and self-education. Sancho ran away to live with the Montagu family and worked as a butler and valet.

Upon leaving the Montagu family, Sancho opened his own store in Westminster with his wife. He developed a network of well-known social and literary figures and began writing letters to newspapers, critiquing politics and culture. Sancho also wrote letters aiding the campaign for the abolishment of the slave trade. In 1774 Sancho officially became the first known Black person to vote in a British election.

Billy Waters, c. 1778–1823
Place of birth: USA, state unknown

Waters served as a seaman for the Royal Navy in 1812 when he suffered an accident that caused him to loose one of this legs. Following his accident, Waters became a well-known busker in London, playing the fiddle as a means of making a living. Water's prime location was by the Adelphi theatre on the Strand. Waters was titled 'King of the Beggars' shortly before his death in 1823.

George Bridgetower, 1788–1860
Place of birth: Poland, Europe

Bridgetower was born to a German mother and a father of unknown African descent. At the age of nine, Bridgetown debuted as a violinist in Paris. He proceeded to perform at concerts around England for audiences that included King George III. When Bridgetower was eleven, he was put under protection by the Prince of Wales.

Bridgetower became a successful violinist and gave over 50 concerts in and around Europe. In 1803 Bridgetower performed with Beethoven and was gifted Beethoven's very own tuning fork. In 1811, Bridgetower gained a Bachelor of Music from Cambridge University in England and continued to teach and perform violin around Europe.

Francis Williams, 1702–70
Place of birth: Jamaica, West Indies

Williams’s parents were free land owners and his father is believed to have been part of the sugar industry. Due to his father's substantial wealth, Williams received a full education. Williams travelled to Europe in 1721 and became a naturalised citizen of Britain in 1723. Upon his father's death, Williams retuned to Jamaica and established a school in Spanish Town, Jamaica.

Williams taught reading and writing, Latin and basic arithmetic. Williams later became a successful writer and poet.

Oludah Equiano, 1745–97
Place of birth: Benin, West Africa

At a young age, Equiano was sold into slavery and ended up in Virginia in the United States of America. Equiano was given the name Gustavus Vassa after a naval captain bought him and renamed him. At the age of twelve, Equiano was sent to London, England and lived with a family in Blackheath. Whilst living there, Equiano learnt how to read and write.

He worked mainly at sea on warships and trading vessels. After being sold and transported several times, Equiano bought his freedom for what is now valued at £40. Equiano established the 'Sons of Africa' group which campaigned for the abolishment of slavery. In 1789 Equiano published his autobiography which provided an account on slavery from the perspective of a former enslaved person. Through his book, Equiano was able to persuade many people to side with the campaign for the abolishment of slavery.

Fanny Eaton, 1835–1924
Place of birth: Jamaica, West Indies

Eaton and her mother travelled to London in 1840s where they both worked as cleaners in and around St Pancras. At the age of sixteen, Eaton began modelling for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood as a means of sustaining her livelihood and supporting her children. Her features were labelled as 'exotic' and made her popular against many artists of the time, especially Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Eaton was considered to be of substantial and incomparable beauty amongst the Brotherhood as she appears in many artworks.

Tom Molineaux, 1784–1818
Place of birth: Virginia, USA

 Born into slavery, Molineaux’s father trained him as a bare-knuckle boxer for the entertainment of their slave masters. Molineaux was given prize money and his freedom after defeating a fellow enslaved person from a different plantation. Molineaux travelled to London, England in 1809 and began a successful heavyweight boxing career. Whilst training with Bill Richmond, a fellow boxer, he travelled across England, Scotland and Ireland fighting boxing matches. Whilst Molineaux's fighting career ended in 1815. He died in Galaway, Ireland in 1818.

Julius Soubise, 1754–98
Place of birth: St Kitts, West Indies

At the age of ten, Soubise was enslaved and brought to England by a Royal Navy Captain. He was gifted to the Duchess of Queensberry who thought very highly of him. He is reported to have been given the nickname 'Young Othello' within the Queensberry household. From a young age, Soubise became a riding and fencing master, and grew in popularity amongst the upper-class socialites. Soubise lived a comfortable life of luxury in London until a rape accusation caused him to move to India.

The truthfulness of these allegations are still not clearly known. Soubise established a fencing and riding school in Calcutta where an unfortunate riding accident lead to his death in 1798.

Ottobah Cugoano, 1757–91
Place of birth: Ghana, West Africa

At a young age Cugoano was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Cugoano worked on a sugar cane plantation in Grenada, West Indies when he was bought and taken to England in 1772. Cugoano was granted freedom and was baptised in 1773.

He was given the name John Stuart. He learnt to read and write and became part of the slavery abolishment movement. Cugoano became active in Equiano's Sons of Africa group and continually campaigned against slavery. In 1787, he published a book presenting his personal experience of slavery, pleading for the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of all enslaved persons.

Ira Aldridge, 1807–67
Place of birth: New York, USA

Aldridge attended New York's African Free School where he developed an interest in theatre. Aldridge had his debut role in a theatre production in Peru, South America. In 1824, Aldridge emigrated to Liverpool, England in attempt to excel his acting career. In 1831, Aldridge adopted the name Keene in order to further propel his acting career. Aldridge ended up playing Shakespeare's role of Othello in London but faced extreme hostility by the audience and the production was subsequently boycotted. Aldridge then toured Europe and was able to successfully play a variety of roles. Aldridge returned to England and began to receive praise for his appearances which shifted public opinion. He was nicknamed 'The African Roscius' and continued to successfully tour around England and Europe.

Joseph Johnson, 1796–Unknown
Place of birth: Unknown

Johnson served as a merchant sailor in the navy. He suffered serious wounds in duty which caused him to retire from service. Johnson became a well known street beggar and performed on the streets of London, Romford, Staines and St Albans. Johnson's signature characteristics was the model of the military vessel Nelson he wore on his head. Johnson was given the nickname 'Black Joe. Little is known of Joseph Johnson.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, 1875–1912
Place of birth: London, UK

Coleridge-Taylor’s mother's family was predominantly made up of musicians. Coleridge learnt how to read music and play instruments from a young age with distinct talent. He attended the Royal College of Music in 1890 at the age of fifteen. Upon completion of his degree, he went on to write compositions and became a successful composer. He conducted various orchestral recitals and began teaching as a means of sustaining his living. He toured the United States in 1904 where he performed for the then president, Theodore Roosevelt. Coleridge was praised for incorporating traditional African folk music into classical music. Coleridge died of Pneumonia in 1912 in Surrey, England.

Omoba Aina, 1843–80
Place of birth: Nigeria, West Africa

Aina was born into Yoruba dynasty and was a Egbado princess. Aina was orphaned at the age of five due to an attack in her village by the King of Dahomey. She was taken to England by a Royal Navy Captain and was presented as a ‘gift’ to Queen Victoria in 1850. Aina was renamed Sarah Forbes Bonetta and was educated in the Church Missionary Society. Queen Victoria took a liking to Aina and made her her goddaughter. Due to poor health, Aina was sent to Sierra Leone at the age of eight. Aina returned to England in 1855. At the age of 19, Aina was coerced into marrying a wealthy Yoruba man living in England. Aina and her husband retuned to Nigeria and had three children. Aina named her first daughter after Queen Victoria in which she was also made her godmother. Aina maintained a close relationship with Queen Victoria until her death in 1880.

Francis Barber, c.1742–1801
Place of birth: Jamaica, West Indies

Martini Maccomo, c.1835–71
Place of birth: Angola, West Africa (unconfirmed)

Martini Maccomo is thought to have been born around 1835 in Angola although there are also reports of him being born under a different name in the West Indies. In 1857 Maccomo joined William Manders' Grand National Mammoth Menagerie. Maccomo became a notable lion tamer and was nicknamed 'The African Wild Beast Tamer’ Maccomo had a successful career. In 1869 Maccomo was violently attacked by a lion during a performance in Sunderland. Though Maccomo survived the attack, he died of rheumatic fever in 1871.

Dido Elizabeth-Belle, 1761–1804
Place of birth: West Indies

William Cuffay, 1788–1870
Place of birth: Gillingham, UK

Jem Wharton, 1813–56
Place of birth: London, UK

Bill Richmond, 1763–1829
Place of birth: New York, US

Charles Bacchus, Unknown–1762
Place of birth: Jamaica, West Indies (Unconfirmed)

Scipio Kennedy, 1694–1774
Place of birth: Guinea, West Africa 

Sargano Alicamusa, 1859–Unknown
Place of birth: St Vincent, West Indies

Alicamusa worked as a lion tamer throughout Europe with Bostock and Wombwell’s Menagerie in Beverley

John Blanke, 1501–11
Place of birth: Africa (Country unconfirmed)

Edward Swarthye, Uknown
Place of birth: West Indies (Unconfirmed)

Reasonable Blackman, 1579–92
Place of birth: Unknown

Celestine Edwards, 1857–1894
Place of birth: Dominica, West Indies

Caesar Shaw, 1760–1827
Place of birth: New London, USA

Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, 1705–75
Place of birth: Nigeria, West Africa

Jacques Francis, c.1572–48
Place of birth: Mauritiana, West Africa

John Marrant, 1755–91
Place of birth: New York, USA

John Ystumllyn, 1738–86
Place of birth: Unknown

Zilpha Elaw, 1790–73
Place of birth: Pennsylvania, USA

Myrtilla, Unknown–1705
Place of birth: Unknown

Louis Celeste Lecesne, c.1796–1847
Place of birth: Haiti or Jamaica, West Indies

Joseph Knight, 1769–78 (unconfirmed)
Place of birth: Guinea, West Africa

Pulford Power, Unknown
Place of birth: Unknown

Margaret Lucy, Unknown
Place of birth: Unknown

Will Archus, Unknown
Place of birth: Unknown

John Edmonstone, 1793–Unknown
Place of birth: Guyana, South America