Today's thread is about Ignatius Sancho (c.1729-1780). He was a composer, actor and writer who lived in London for many years. He was orphaned early on, enslaved when he was only two years old and was sold to three sisters in Greenwich #BlackLivesMatter #blackhistory

Sancho grew up there. He educated himself with the help of gentleman John Montagu who facilitated him and provided access to his library. When he was about twenty, Sancho escaped the house in Greenwich and persuaded the Montagu household to employ him as a butler, which they did.

He became a shop keeper in 1744 and was already known as a refined man of letters, writing to many notable correspondents including David Garrick and Laurence Sterne.

His letters were published posthumously. They are vivid, engaging and relatable. He says this of news: "The news will come with a handsome face - attested by a Gazette extraordinary, garnished by the happy flourishes of news-paper invention".

The British Library holds the only surviving manuscript letters of Ignatius Sancho. They are digitised here: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-only-surviving-manuscript-letters-of-ignatius-sancho complete with transcripts and commentary. Have a look! #BlackLivesMatter #blackhistory