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Blanke, John
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Musicians -> Blanke, John
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1 Black People in Britain |
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Historians have documented
the arrival of Black people in Britain as members of the
Roman Army. Before the Black Victorians is found at:
http://www.healingimage.com/mhp/bv/before.html
The website is part of Channel 4's "Black And Asian
History Map" It
recounts:
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The
first mention of a Black African in Britain in the
historical record is at a Roman military settlement at
Carlisle, in ca. 210 AD. Shortly after, in the years
253-58 AD, Hadrian's Wall on the Empire's northern
frontier was guarded by a division raised in North
Africa. |
2 Continuous Presence
Before the Black Victorians reports that
individuals were subsequently brought to Britain from
Africa at various times. It describes the first
continuous presence of Black people in Britain:
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Historians give 1555 as the beginning of a continuous
Black presence in Britain, when five Africans were
brought to England from Shama on the West African coast
- modern Ghana - by John Lok, a London merchant, who
hoped that by teaching them English he might facilitate
trade with the Gold Coast. |
3 Deportation Decree
In 1596 Queen Elizabeth I proclaimed the number of "blackamoors",
or people of African descent, excessive and ordered
their expulsion, we are told in Before the Black
Victorians. The Queen's own employment of a
Black entertainer and a Black page are said to have
undermined the deportation effort, and it ultimately
failed.
4 Black Trumpeter
Black Presence is an online feature of The
National Archives of the United Kingdom, in partnership
with the Black and Asian Studies Association. It
includes an entry entitled John Blanke, Black
Trumpeter, at:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/early_times/blanke.htm
The online entry on John Blanke begins:
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It
appears that John Blanke, a Black trumpeter, was a
regular musician at the
courts of both Henry VII and Henry VIII. Musicians'
payments were noted in the accounts of the Treasurer of
the Chamber, who was responsible for paying the wages.
There are several payments recorded to a 'John Blanke,
the blacke trumpeter'. This trumpeter was paid 8d [8
pence] a day, first by Henry VII and then from 1509 by
Henry VIII. |
We learn from the archives
that a son was born to Henry VIII and his wife,
Catherine of Aragon, on January 1, 1511. Tradition
called for a major celebration of a royal birth, so the
King held the two-day Tournament of Westminster later
that year.
5 Tournament Roll
Henry VIII ordered the creation of a pictorial tapestry
of the Westminster Tournament, The Westminster
Tournament Roll. The National Archives entry gives
a description:
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It is a
pictorial illuminated manuscript, a
continuous roll approximately 60 feet long. It is a
narrative of the beginning, middle and end of the
tournament, which took place over two days. |
6 Trumpeters
The people depicted on the roll include six trumpeters.
The entry explains:
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Among
the latter is a Black man. He appears twice on the Roll:
once on the way from the court and again on the way
back. According to the historian Sydney Anglo, he is
almost certainly John Blanke, the 'blacke trumpeter'
mentioned in the Treasurer's accounts.
Henry VIII's tournament was a costly extravaganza, and
here we find a Black man included in one of the most
magnificent pageants of his time, dressed formally as a
mounted musician, perhaps also belonging to the
equestrian corps of the court |
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This page was last updated
on
January 18, 2008
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