Ignatius Sancho: Britain's First Black Voter
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- Опубликовано: 3 авг 2023
- Today I want to explore the life and legacy of the first known black person to have met these requirements and to have thus voted in a British election. His name was Ignatius Sancho, let’s take a look…
I hope you enjoy this video and find it interesting!
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Intro / Outro song: Silent Partner, "Greenery" [ • Greenery - Silent Part... ]
SFX from freesfx.co.uk/Default.aspx
Images (from Wikimedia Commons, unless otherwise stated):
Portrait of Ignatius Sancho by Thomas Gainsborough (1768). Held by the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
NASA Visible Earth: Blue Marble: Land Surface, Shallow Water, and Shaded Topography Map (2002).
Portrait of John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu by Sir Godfrey Kneller (1709). Held by the National Portrait Gallery.
Portrait of Mary Montagu, Duchess of Montagu by Charles Jervas (1700s). Held in an unidentified private collection.
Screenshots from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/c...
Portrait of George Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu, 4th Earl of Cardigan by William Beechey (18th century). Held in an unidentified private collection.
Screenshot from: www.google.com/maps/place/Ear...
Screenshot from: www.bl.uk/collection-items/re....
Portrait of Charles James Fox by Anton Hickel (1794). Held by the National Portrait Gallery.
Photograph of the plaque to Ignatius Sancho, site of Montagu House. Taken by Paul W (2018).
Quoted texts:
Vincent Carretta, ODNB entry on Ignatius Sancho www-oxforddnb-com.lonlib.idm....
Harry Sherrin, “Ignatius Sancho: The First Black Briton to Vote in an Election” (2022) www.historyhit.com/ignatius-s...
Reproduced in John Nichols and Samuel Bentley, “Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century: Anecdotes” (1814).
Ignatius Sancho’s Obituary, The Gazetter (14th December 1780)
Screenshots from: www.fromthemurkydepths.co.uk/...)
Also consulted, were:
Other relevant entries from The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online. 
Развлечения
As an African it is amazing to note that brits in 18th century used Shakespeare as point of reference in identifying people of color. SANCHOS Iago retort was amazing 😅
The great Afro-American singer and actor Paul Robeson was probably the only person in history who both acted as Othello in the Shakespeare play but also sung the role of Otello in the opera of that name by the great Italian composer Verdi - the opera was based on Shakespeare of course.
Keep in mind that most Northern Europeans, including Britons, would have never seen, let alone met, an African. The country was still rural and most people did not travel far from their native village, so were not likely to have met people from a few hundred miles away, never mind several thousand. Even Othello, a 'Moor', may well be from North-Africa or Arabia, so not black, and was only a character Shakespeare had heard about from Italian fiction.
What about it amazes you so much?
Do you mean using Shakespeare like a kind of bible or reference book? Doesn't surprise me. My parents used to make puns back and forth out of Shakespeare lines, and also the Bible although not one whit religious. Or just to be ironic (eg "O ye of little faith"). There was just a literary canon that everyone knew. Now, not so much. 🤔
Not bible but the words of Shakespeare. Brits world was so small then that they had to depend on Shakespeare's text to know who or what Black is! @@T-aka-T
@@Anti_WokeI suggest you read the play. Shakespeare makes it very clear Othello was quite dark skinned. Educated folks were well aware the world was not all pink skinned by Shakespeare’s time. By the 18th C most people and anyone living in a port city would know the world is populated by people with various shades in skin color. By the 19th C just about everyone knew.
I was a historical interpreter at Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY. I always ended my tour with a question. In 1920 did all women get the right to vote? The answer should always be no. It was not until the Civil Rights Act of 1965 did all Americans get the right to vote. I know, now as a Veteran that what I thought I was fighting for in other countries, I am now fighting for in my own country. Sadly to say our Democratic Republic is a minority rule. Not the dream or idea I was willing to give my life for. Thank you for giving a voice to history that not every day person might hear!!!
So well stated Bridget. Thank you for your comment. It hits home.
Dr. Kat, thanks for sharing the story of Ignatius Sancho...I'm a Black American who has often wondered about the roles of Britons of African descent in UK history. This was an eye-opening and fascinating segment (per usual)❤👍
Working class British people only got the vote in 1918. We wasn't a race based society but a class.
This brilliant man reminds me of another composer of African descent from around the same time, Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de Sait-Georges. Both men were not only composers but very outspoken abolitionists 🎼🎹🎻
Have you seen the new movie about him?
I'm a classical early music specialist and sadly have not come across his works! Thank you for this. I might add though for anyone here, to have composed this kind of music he would of had to have had considerable education and training... there would have been thousands of hours of work here to get to that stage (you can't just magic up playing and composing complex music from this period). Hope people can appreciate the brilliance of this man just from this aspect alone ...
I have read that the chaconne - a dance form prominent in many 18th century compositions was probably of African origin via the Spanish American colonies. Also the history of the tango -an Argentine speciality of course but some claim it derives from the English country dance in its continental transformation as the contradanse - the last movement of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony is a contradanse - a tune he first used in the ballet "The creatures of Prometheus."
To me, that's about the most amazing part of his story. I "tried" to study music in college, with no previous formal training, ability with a keyboard, and only the rudiments of how to read music. I could sing and play rhythm guitar, just self taught chords, so I understood a bit about harmony. But trying to be a music major coming from there was a joke, and somebody should have stopped me (LOL). I was able to learn by ear, so I got through my vocal training OK. But I nearly had a nervous breakdown midway into second year Music Theory. I just think this man must have been amazing, to compose, write down, and publish a body of work like that. Without modern recording equipment, one had to be very adept just in the brain to remember what you're trying to write down, and then "hear" in your head the other harmony and melody parts. With more opportunity, he might have been among the historical "greats" of European music.
Thank you Dr.Kat. This Tuesday my country celebrated the anniversary of the 1833 proclamation of the Emancipation of the enslaved Africans, the first country to declare it a holiday. So this is very very much fitting!
Kudos to Trinidad! In Jamaica it was observed for some time in the early twentieth century until our independence in 1962. It only became a national public holiday once more under The Holidays (Public General) of Act 1998 after a prolonged campaign led by primarily by Rex Nettleford. Our Emancipation Park opened in Kingston on the eve of Emancipation Day in 2002 - with its somewhat controversial statues 😅. It’s wonderful seeing Black British and colonial heritage engaged with on a channel I really like 😊🎶
It's incredible to think that it's only because Britain used its empire to enforce abolition that the Western world now thinks of slavery as wrong.
You're welcome.
tis a pity that, in this day and age,
there are those that would write people such as Mr Sancho
out of history.
the struggle for human rights is ongoing.
Who are they, that would write people out of history?
Do you propose a plaque for all the other London grocers, or for all the native British who did not get the vote until long after Sancho?
@@Anti_WokeWhile I appreciate your point you seem somewhat acerbic in how you make that point. Can one surmise this underpins your 'handle'? Catching more fly's with honey rather than with vinegar springs to mind.
Excellent Dr Kat. I am absolutely fascinated that his obituary doesn't define him by the colour of his skin. I love that he is instead remembered for his character and skill. Fascinating episode. I love his sassy speech to the Iago in the park 😂
Excellent, Dr. Kat! Thank you for your intelligent attention to multicultural histories. ❤🌹🙂 (I love how Mr. Sancho uses Iago to characterize that racist white guy!) 😉
Thank you Dr.Kat. You’ve allowed us to discover another piece of history. I had never heard of Sancho, so this is another brilliant moment for Reading the Past!
Thank you giving us a look at Ignatius Sancho. I think the plaque is well thought out and well deserved. I really like the part about Othello (be careful not to judge a book by its cover).
What a fascinating fellow. His response to that young man who insulted him was beautiful. I also felt such respect for him when the person pointed out he kept in touch with all his fellows - large and small - rich and not. Some people are built to be good with people - it is not a talent I have and I respect it in others.
Early lunch for me! Time spent with Dr. Kat is time well spent! Please hit the thumbs up
A very groovy way to spend your lunch indeed! Thumbs wayyyy up!! 👍 ⬆️
Loved the video and the GROOVY.. trying to bring that word back. Awesome is sooo overused
@marilynsnyder5592 It's one of my favorite word. It's the best!! Hope you enjoyed video and had a grooooovvvvyyy lunch 🙂
I'm so impressed and heartened that there were people who encouraged Ignatius to learn and grow back in his era. This gives me hope for today. 🎼📚🎶
Very interesting. I would like to recommend "Black Tudors" by Miranda Kaufmann as an addition to this topic, albeit biographies of Africans in Tudor England.
Really interesting video. It’s such a short time since everyone, in Britain ,could vote. My mother, who’s 100 years old, was taken as a 6 year old to a polling station. Her mother told her that this was a very important day because it was the first time women could vote. She has voted at every election since she was 21 in 1944.
Definitely a character which makes history so interesting.🎶🎵
What a wonderful story. The plaque idea is
a great idea. 🎹🎶 Thanks Dr. Kats.🌹🌹
Is there anything we can do to help ensure that the plaque is moved along at a faster rate? It seems like more people need to know more about the awesome fellow.
Dr. Kat, how about a video on Mary Seacole?
Thank you for sharing the interesting story of this admirable man! I do hope that the pictorial plaque is added to the one in Greenwich. (The existing plaque could also use an Oxford comma after "composer," as it shows an important distinction in this case.)
Thank you for taking time to speak about this subject! I found it so interesting! I have seen the portrait before but I didn't know who he was, what an interesting life he had! 🎼
🎶 🎼 🎵 thanks again for bringing us the lives of people who have traditionally been overlooked ❤️ Great job Dr. Kat!
I'd heard of "The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho" by Paterson Joseph but haven't picked it up as yet. This is marvelous motivation; it'll be interesting to compare the fictionalized account to the research you've presented. Thanks!
🙂🎼
I am loving these Friday releases. Really kickstarts the weekend on a good foot. 🖤📚 History Parttttyyyy!!! 🎈🎊✨️🎉
Agreed
Dr. Kat, Daughter and I have been enjoying your channel for quite a while.
We love history. My daughter is graduating High school here in the states and is wanting to get a degree in history and a minor in acting.
We know that you do historical reenactments of different characters.
We will be in England for a study abroad in the fall and would love to interview you about your successful career path.
Is this something you could do?
Thanks for the educational, enthusiastic historical information.
We love what you do. 🎶 🎹 🎤
Loved it. The shakespeare comeback was savage.
Thank you Dr Kat for another informative and thoroughly interesting presentation. What an amazing life this man had.
More important than he could have known. He became the conclusive argument against slavery, which ultimately abolished the slave trade. In many senses we are still feeling the impact of the many changes this remarkable man brought us.
🎼 I'd heard of Mr. Sancho before but appreciate the additional information you've provided. 🎶🎵
🎼🎶🎵🎻 Looking forward to the new plaque. I love you Dr. Kat! ❤
An absolutely fascinating story that I'd never heard of until today. Dr. Kat has such a way of taking you back into history, making you feel as if you were actually there.
As always an informative video about complex humans. Thank you for this.
Another fascinating video! I truly appreciate your shining a spotlight on aspects of history that rarely get mentioned. I would have loved to have visited his shop. And it's wonderful that his widow was well provided for, as imho it seems he was still rather young when he passed, only 50 or 51. Thanks so much, Dr. Kat!!! 😊💖 🎼🎶🎵
What an excellent summary of Sancho’s life.
Love your channel!😊😊😊❤❤❤
Very interesting. Ignatius sounds like a fascinating person. I was today years old when I learned all this. 🎼🎻
Wouldn't his story make for a good mini series on PBS. You would think that with 7 children I'm sure some survived to adulthood, he must have descendants living in England today.
I’m surprised there isn’t a filmed biopic in the works for this legendary man 🥰
I really appreciate a scholar who is actually curious. That when someone brings up a question that you don't know the answer to directly or you don't know all the nuance about it that you will actually go and research it that is so lovely! I think Muse & Dionysus also did a video about this man!
This was very interesting thank you. I had assumed Ignatius’s wife would have been white but I note in the Dictionary of National Biography she was described as “a deserving young woman of West India origin.” Sadly it appears from a tree on Ancestry, backed up by digitised church burial records, that they will have no direct descendants, at least not documented ones. 4 of their 8** children died in infancy, 3 daughters died unmarried, and a son William who was a bookseller died unmarried age 34. **There was a daughter Mary Ann born 1759 died 1805 who is omitted from sources for some reason
Well that's just bloody sad!
I hope the new plaque is approved -- seeing what he looked like is one more way to humanize this notable & fascinating man!🎼
Thst was fantastic. I think despite the indescribable hardships people of the past endured, their lives were far more interesting and richer than our otherwise mundane modern existence ❤
I would like to suggest that the plaque dedicated to Mr. Sancho include a link to this video. ❤
What an amazing man...well beyond his time in his ideas and the way he lived his life.I love the idea of the plaque too... let's hope it happens.Thank you,Dr Kat 🎹 23:06
Just what I needed before heading into work in office for the first time in a couple months. 💙
🎶🎵🎶
I'm so enjoying your history of common people rather than royalty, this was truly fascinating. Thank you
Great video Dr. Kat, Sancho was a pioneer in so many fronts. I would love to see another of your awesome alt history videos in what if Henry Stuart, prince of Wales had lived. I think his kingship would have been remarkably different than his brother Charles was IOTl❤
What an intresting individual!! Thank for sharing his story with us! 🎶🎶
What a fascinating person. You can find his music on RUclips. I searched on Ignatius Sancho Music Performed. Oh, I love that retort!
Oh this was SO good - thank you! 🎼🎹🎶
An extraordinary account of an extraordinary man.
I found this channel a few days days ago and now I can’t stop watching.
🎶Dr. Kat - thank you for another delightful video. I learned so much about this very talented man and how he survived and, indeed, thrived against the odd! So inspiring - thank you!
As always Dr. Kat, very interesting subject matter. Happy weekend
all. 🎼🎻🎸🎼🎶🎸
Ignatius Sancho was unquestionably a brilliant man, but the very first thing that caught me was the reference to his being occasionally "borrowed" from the 3 sisters who owned him so he could be educated. No mention made about how he "escaped" his owners? Was he re-purchased or simply borrowed one day and never returned? That seems to me to be the key to his eventual success.
Wow I admire how thorough you are with your research thank you for spending the time to know the backgrounds of the topics you present!
I always find your videos so interesting. This one was particularly so. I hope you do get to share the proposed plaque in place. 🎻🎶
What a great story! An extraordinary man. 🎻
Thanks! Fascinating as always. Love your work,
Thank you so much 🤩
Wow! This guy sounds fascinating. I’d totally watch a biopic of this man’s life.
What a great story. Thank you, Dr. Kat. ❤❤
Thank you so much for this video! It’s unfortunate it hasn’t gotten similar attention as your other excellent videos. I love learning about people who tend to be overlooked by history. Mr. Sancho’s story is fascinating-it would be amazing to hear his music! Like you I hope the memorial to him gets updated; it’s important to show a picture (or portrait) of real people when possible.
His Iago retort was on point :)
While told as historical fiction, The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph is an interesting read and telling of his life. 🎼🎶
love this - i had read some of his letters years ago but did not know all of this about his family - and the analysis of his voting record is brillant - ty for your excellent work again!🎶💃
Loved hearing about Sancho. I had heard of him before, but not his story. 👍♥️
Another brilliantly researched video. Thank you
Thank you for another wonderful video! ❤
Charles James Fox is such an interesting character. I would love to see a video on his family, his father, and his aunties, the Lennox sisters. I absolutely LOVE that Ignatius Sancho stood up to the youngsters in the park. 🪶🌿🌸
Thank You so very much, Dr. Kat. Looking forward, as well!
🎼🎻🎶
🎹🎻I bought “The secret diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho” by the actor Paterson Joseph, but haven’t read it yet. I think it’s high time I did.
He was a great man and I love how he put the insolent pup down! 🎻🎻
Fascinating history. Thank you for another great post, DrKat! 🎭
🎶🎶🎶🎵🎵🎼🎼🎼 Loved thus as always
Thank you for telling this important story.🎵
Another great video. What an amazing man 🎶🖋📜
This is fabulous! I was learning one of Sancho's country dance tunes last night and knew only a tiny bit of his background. this puts so much meat on the bones. Perhaps I'll share the result of my musical efforts a little later 🎼🎶🎹
This is such an interesting story. I was hoping when you mentioned it in the live that you would make this video. 🎼🎵🎶
Thank you for this wonderful video. I was aware there were enslaved persons in the UK circa 1600-1800, but haven't had much luck learning about them. Ignatius Sancho sounds like an amazing person, and I agree, another memorial to him would be a great thing. 🎶🎶🎶🎶
This was a favorite of mine. Thank you for sharing this!
🎼🎶🎶🎶I love this story of Ignatius Sancho.
I love this close looks at overlooked people. 🎶 🎵
Thank you for this one, Dr. Kat!
He sounds like a lovely man. I'm glad he was regarded as such during his time.
🎵 Thanks for another insightful video!! I had never heard of Sancho, and would love more videos about persons of color in British history.
🎹🎹 I look forward to each Friday release! Fantastic😊
Fabulous video, as always. What a wonderful person to learn about 🎻
I think this video and the story of Ignatius Sancho are very interesting. The fact that he was able to raise himself up from from being an enslaved person to being a voting citizen, at a time when most white Englishmen didn't have the same privilege, is amazing!
Thank you so much for introducing me to a new (to me) composer! I am a singer always looking for music and in particular classical style by non-Caucasian and non-cis-male composers. 🎼🎶
I really hope that this is put up it would help make him real for people reading about him thank you for sharing this great as ever best from Ireland
Sancho is featured in London Metropolitan Archives Unforgotten Lives exhibition so I was curious to learn more. Do you ever visit the LMA archive?
Fantastic topic! I am also hoping for the new plaque to be added for such an important man 🎶🎶🎶🎶
Another great video! Thanks, Dr. Kat.
I saw the notification the day before the video release and clicked on it. I always find your videos extremely educational and I thank you for sharing your passion for history with fellow history lovers. Cheers from Chicago 🎼
I did not get a notification for this one, and the algorithm didnt recommend it to me despite me "ringing the bell"
Fascinating as usual! 😊
❤🎼🎵🎶Thank you for another great and interesting video bringing to light history that would otherwise remain hidden. 🎺🎹🎻📯❤
Brilliant! He was an inspiring fellow to learn about. Thank you.🎶
Thank you for another fascinating video on neglected history! 🎹🎶🎵🎼
I confused Ignatius Sancho with Joseph Emidy a Guinean born former slave pressganged into the British Navy who became leader of Truro Philharmonic orchestra in early 19th century
Dr Kat. as always, a great video!
🎶🎵🎼 Great as always Dr Cat!
john guglielmini here great video dr kat
Have been a subscriber for, I don't know how long. Have watched your stuff a lot. This video prompts a comment. My first, I believe, to your channel. In my country the celebration of the ignorant opinions that prevail in about one third of my fellow citizens and neighbors were