Britain’s first black voter was in 1749, 25 years earlier than thought, and ran a pub

By Chris Osuh, The Guardian

John London, a landlord, paid rates so could take part in Westminster byelection despite being called a ‘blackamoor’

It’s a discovery that changes our understanding of British history – and it arises from just one word.

Until now, the first black voter in Britain was thought to be the composer Charles Ignatius Sancho, the British abolitionist who, as the owner of property in Mayfair, voted in the 1774 Westminster election.

But a chance discovery at the British Library by Dr Gillian Williamson, a historian researching lodgers in Georgian London, reveals a black man voted in an election 25 years earlier.

The revelation that John London, landlord of a pub in the capital, cast a vote in 1749, sheds new light on an era when the black population of London is believed to have been 10,000 strong, and the democratic process was limited but lively.

As a Westminster ratepayer, John London was among the no more than 14% of people who were entitled to vote at the time, a privileged position, Dr Williamson said.

The original article explains how this unique election impacted London.

See how the Black vote has evolved over time.

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