librarians without borders

Patterns of Migration

By the third quarter of the seventeenth century the British slave trade had become fully established, forcibly transporting black Africans to the recently established colonies of the West Indies and North America. In the process huge fortunes were amassed by both traders and plantation owners. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, many wealthy and successful plantation owners had begun to return to London with their fortunes and frequently with their personal slaves. Young and "exotic" black servants dressed in a metal collar and extravagant Oriental costume became an almost necessary fashion accessory for London's powerful elites. As a result, by mid-century black men and women had become a relatively familiar sight on the streets of London.

Large numbers of black Londoners also arrived as a result of their involvement as sailors in the merchant navy and as soldiers and sailors in Britain's military. Following the cessation of hostilities at the conclusions of the Seven Years War in 1763 and the American War in 1781 many black men, among them a large group of Loyalists from North America, were discharged on to the streets of Britain's ports, forming the country's first coherent black communities.