Last lecture

Reasonable Blackman occupation

silk weaver

What does the name Reasonable Blackman signal

might be something about ancestry

Pushback to Reasonable Blackman signalling ancestry

many Tudors had names with some variation on black or moore in their name

What does reasonable indicate for Reasonable Blackman

his prices were fair

Reasonable Blackman

financially independent skilled craftsman showing not all Black Tudors worked for a master

Silk weaving in the tudor era

high demand, central to Tudor economy

new industry in London that expanded rapidly

What caused demand for silk in this period

Queen Elizabeth led the way advocating for silk stockings with her courtiers following suit having nobles engage in a continuous status competition

Why we can’t assume blackman means of African descent

Name could refer to dark hair or someone from a place called Moore, Blackmore, or lived near a moor

Why we know Reasonable Blackman was of African descent

also described as blackmor and a blackmore

Blackamoor importance

Blackamoor and its variants was the most popular term Englishmen used to describe Africans appearing in 40% of references to individuals

How did Reasonable get to England

Via the Spanish Netherlands following the refugee crisis caused by the Netherland revolt against Spanish rule

Refugee crisis statistic

from 1550-1585 50,000 refugees arrive in England from Spanish Netherlands

Spanish Netherlands and Silk weaving

Spanish Netherlands dominated silk weaving industry, so when refugees left they brought silk-weaving with them

How did Reasonable live

Blackman’s life was very similar to other independent craftsmen at the time

Notable things for Blackman’s marriage

no laws against interracial marriage

sign of prosperity since getting married was expensive and you became financially responsible for a household

Blackman and religion

His children were baptized signaled the family was accepted by the parish and Tudor society

When 2 of 3 of his children died, they were buried in the parish churchyard along others

Mary Fillis

The Moroccan convert

Mary Fillis Father’s occupation

basket weaver

Fillis as a last name

reflection of father’s last name, Fillis is a type of loosely twisted string used to weave baskets

Caveat for Fillis coming to England

Historians note the area in London she was brought up in was an area where basket makers had their shops

Links between Morocco and Tudor England

moroccan embassy in London

Merchants describe great riches to be found in Morocco and luxury goods in markets

Value of trade

First Moroccan Embassy in England year

1589

Value of trade between morocco and England

in 1570s english trade with Morocco was worth twice the value of their trade with Portugal

Mary Fillis Birth

born in Morocco 1577

Sultan Ahmad Al-Mansur

ruled Morcco when Mary was born, 25 year period of peace and prosperity under his rule

Al-Mansur and Queen Elizabeth

Saw her as an ally

What did Al-Mansur promise to provide the English

men

money

victuals

access to moroccan ports

What did Al-Mansur want in return for port access

English ships and English help in strengthening the Moroccan navy

Mary Fillis occupation

Mary became a servant to the Barker family

John Barker

patriarch to Barker family, was a merchant who was involved in many trading networks and had direct links with Morocco.

Who did John Barker work for

the earl of Leicester who was heavily involved in the saltpeter trade

saltpeter

key ingredient in making gunpowder and was found in abundance in morocco

What was traded between the English and Morocco

English imported Moroccan saltpeter and exported guns to Morocco

Morocco as a destination

Attractive destination doe Englishmen prior to 1620 more Britons lived in North Africa than North America

Barker Household characterization

rich, Mary grew up in an affluent setting with two other African servants in the household

Mary after Barker died

Mary continued to work for his widow, later working as a servant in Millicent Porter household as a seamstress

Why did Mary leave the Barkers

Widow Barker was still alive so its suggests Mary made the decision to leave and choose a different employer

Possible reason Mary could have worked for Porter

To become financially independent, moving to lower establishment household could mean that she could help with more skilled aspects of her profession

Mary’s spiritual transformation

Millicent Porter took a spiritual interest in Mary encouraging her to learn the scriptures

Who was Mary’s godmother

Millicent Porter

Mary and the Protestant idea of personal faith

based on an understadning of scripture, Mary needed to be educated about the basic tents of Christianity which became Widow Porter’s responsibility

Baptism’s importance for Mary

After baptism Mary became equal to any other person of her social class in the parish

Many people attended showing people welcomed Mary into their community

Why did Porter care about Mary’s spirituality

The book of common prayer said that not only parents should ensure children went to church, but masters and slaves as well

Mary’s religious experience explains what about Africans in Tudor England

Religious status can override foreign origin and determine social belonging