Dinah Black, female slave

[Carl Daniels]

Ray

I'm trying to get information on a black slave who lived in Bristol, England sometime between the1640's and 1690's. I understand that her story is recorded in The Annals of Bristol in the Seventeenth Century by John Latimer, but alas I have no access to a copy of that book. If anyone out there has a copy, I would be very grateful if they could send me all the information there is on Dinah Black?

As I have mentioned she was a black slave who apparently sued her mistress Dorothy Smith in 1687, as her mistress was trying to send her back to the plantations in the West Indies. Dinah it seems ran away and was rescued by Quakers who took up her case. The information I have is sketchy and some of it may in fact be inaccurate.

I would be grateful for any information regardless of how small and seemingly insignificant.

Kind regards

Carl Daniels
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[Tony Dyer]

Hi

Latimer's Annals for 1667 have the following;

"A curious example of the practice of kidnapping human
beings for transportation to America is recorded in the
minutes of the Court of Aldermen in July. The justices
note that one Dinah Black had lived for five years as ser-
vant to Dorothy Smith, and had been baptised, and wished
to live under the teaching of the Gospel ; yet her mistress
had recently caused her to be put aboard a ship, to be con-
veyed to the plantations. Complaint having been made.
Black had been rescued, but her mistress (who had doubtless
sold her) refused to take her back ; and it was therefore
ordered that she should be free to earn her living until the
case was heard at the next quarter sessions. The Sessions
Book has perished. From the peculiar manner in which
she is described, it may be assumed that Dinah was a negro
woman captured on the African coast, and had lived as a
slave in Bristol."

I believe the book is available at Bristol Central Library but you can also read it online at www.archive.org

Regards

Tony