Life was precarious for many, and for people who escaped bondage, East End safe havens included the White Raven pub in Whitechapel – where Black patrons formed a frontline against bounty hunters – and the church of St George-in-the-East in Shadwell, which, in the mid-18th century, committed to baptising people who had escaped enslavement.
Researchers believe the records are a snapshot of larger East End communities where Black people lived alongside white working-class neighbours, and where people who escaped enslavement and indenture could hide.
Tony T, the research and engagement lead, said evidence pointed towards the British equivalent of the Underground Railroad – the network of safehouses used by the abolitionist Harriet Tubman to rescue enslaved people in the US – with runaway notices showing people were helped to hide after escaping “masters” in London.
The untold stories of Black Londoners who escaped slavery in the capital and joined free communities in the East End have been uncovered by researchers who draw comparisons with the Underground Railroad in the US.
“In the East End of London there are also prominent slave traders … even where Black people are free, they are still living under the shadow of the systems of the slave trade.”.
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