Thread by @darling_disco, It seems like it might be a timely moment to share some [...]

It seems like it might be a timely moment to share some links on diversity within the Regency Period - not only to share some knowledge but also to celebrate the awesome achievement of getting more diversity in the Sanditon writing ‘room’

#Sanditon

First up is a Historic England link who highlights that at the end of the 18th century, there was an estimated “Black population of around 15,000 people…mostly living in major port cities - but also in market towns & villages”

#Sanditon https://bit.ly/3xYw2lh

Black Lives in England - Black British History in the 18th and 19th Centuries | Historic England

People of African origin have been part of English history since Roman times.

https://bit.ly/3xYw2lh

While most worked as servants, not all did.

This link (again from Historic England) highlights some key individuals who worked as sailors, tradespeople, businessmen and musicians

#Sanditon https://bit.ly/3uAtqbh

Working Lives - Black British History in the 18th and 19th Centuries | Historic England

Not all Black people in England's history were slaves or servants. People worked as sailors, tradespeople of all kinds, businessmen or musicians.

https://bit.ly/3uAtqbh

You will note Dido Belle is included in the above article. While I feel she is too often used in the same sentence as our Georgiana Lamb (

), Dido Belle's story is a fascinating one.

More here from National Trust.

#Sanditon https://bit.ly/3vWndX8

Dido Belle

A mixed-race woman, Dido Belle was raised as part of an aristocratic family in Georgian Britain at the height of the transatlantic slave trade.

https://bit.ly/3vWndX8

We can go back further if you like. There is evidence of diversity within our society from at least the Roman period.

David Olusoga writes more here about that & his amazement of why people refuse to accept it

#Sanditon https://bit.ly/2RbJh1f

Black people have had a presence in our history for centuries. Get over it | David Olusoga

Africans have lived in Britain since the Roman empire. When a leading historian confirmed this, she was vilified

https://bit.ly/2RbJh1f

Indeed in 2018, DNA analysis of the archaeological remains of an individual found in Cheddar Gorge, highlights that 10,000 years ago, we may not have looked as ‘white’ as the ‘history’ books would have you believe

#Sanditon https://bit.ly/3w1lr7r

First modern Britons had 'dark to black' skin, Cheddar Man DNA analysis reveals

The genome of Cheddar Man, who lived 10,000 years ago, suggests that he had blue eyes, dark skin and dark curly hair

https://bit.ly/3w1lr7r

But I digress. This thread is just scratching the surface of this topic but ultimately

There was diversity in Regency Period and there is no room or place for racism in this fandom

#Sandion

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