By Audrey Dewjee
The reporting of a court case in the Hull Advertiser and Exchange Gazette of Saturday, August 2, 1794 brought to light an interesting story of a life lived largely on the east coast of Yorkshire.
Frederick Brown ‘a negro’ was charged with ‘feloniously and burglariously entering the lodging room of Mary Sedman…between the hours of three and five o’clock in the morning of the 15th of December last, and stealing thereout one silver watch, gilt, with a shagreen case.’
Frederick Brown ‘a negro’ was charged with ‘feloniously and burglariously entering the lodging room of Mary Sedman…between the hours of three and five o’clock in the morning of the 15th of December last, and stealing thereout one silver watch, gilt, with a shagreen case.’
On the trial it appeared from the deposition of Mary Sedman, that the prisoner Frederick Brown had forcibly entered her lodging room on the night above- mentioned; that, having threatened to shoot her in case she made any noise, (tho’ she did not perceive any offensive instrument in his possession) he took away her watch, and escaped by the same way as he entered. She was positive as to the identity of his person, as she had been acquainted with him some time before.
Unfortunately, or fortunately as it turned out in this case, the night before the robbery, Frederick Brown had been injured by the explosion of some gunpowder and his hands were covered by very large blisters which were unbroken at the time he was taken into custody. This convinced the gaoler and a surgeon that it was impossible for Brown to have committed the crime without bursting them.
It was likewise proved by a woman, whose lodging room was only separated from his by a thin partition, that she had left him at one o’clock in the morning, when the fact was said to have been committed, very much indisposed, and saw him again in the same situation at eight. That she never heard him leave the house in the course of the night, tho’ she could hear distinctly everything which passed in his room.
Hull citizens Jonas Brown and Lewis Gray testified that the prisoner was a man of perfect honesty and fidelity and Mr. Brown also pointed out that he ‘had seen a negro in the town about the time the robbery was committed, who had a strong resemblance to the prisoner.’ Unsurprisingly, the jury returned a verdict of ‘Not Guilty’ and Frederick was set free.
Further research uncovered more details of his life story.
Frederick Brown, ‘a native of Guinea aged 22 years’, was baptised in St. Mary’s Church, Whitby, on 12 April, 1775. He was described by a local as ‘a Negro slave who stowed himself away on board the Prince Frederick belonging to Jonas Brown’, a Whitby ship-owner, – perhaps on the voyage from North Carolina which arrived back in Britain in February, 1775.[1]
Frederick seems to have had a number of jobs in the Whitby area, lodging at Sleights with his master Michael Agar, working for John Smallwood a Mason and, at some point towards the end of his life, at the Alum works. In between, perhaps he went to Hull to work for Jonas Brown’s son, also called Jonas who had a shipping business in the port. Jonas Brown junior (d.1833) was one of Hull’s city fathers, becoming a JP in 1801 and serving in that capacity until shortly before his death.
Information about Frederick’s life comes from oral history transcribed in Whitby in the 1880s. One incident in his life must have stuck in the memory of local people. When his employer John Smallwood was doing some repairs at Goathland Mill, ‘he let fall a large hammer into the water for which Brown dived but found it so fast between two blocks of stone that he couldn’t bring it up and [it is] probably there yet.’[2]
Few British people knew how to swim in those days, whereas people born and raised on the coast of West Africa were often excellent swimmers and divers – the diver Jacques Francis, for example, who was employed in the salvage operations for Henry VIII’s great ship the Mary Rose which sank in the 1540s. Another example is Hamlet, an enslaved man from Barbados who was sent to England in 1805 by his master, a plantation owner named Robert Haynes, to accompany his three sons who were coming to school in England. One of them, George, fell overboard when they were landing in Liverpool, whereupon Hamlet dived in and saved his life.[3]
Frederick Brown was mentioned a second time in the oral history records. When he was about 50 years old he was working at the Alum Works and lodging at Michael Agar’s in Sleights. Apparently he was something of a dandy and wore Hessian boots. ‘He left [Sleights] because J. Watson for fun hid his boot jack, becoming violent he was turned out and went to Hull.’ This happened in the latter part of the summer of 1812.[4]
Frederick Brown lived in Hull for a further four years. He died in the workhouse and was buried at Holy Trinity Church on 13 December, 1816. Jonas Brown senior had another son, Thomas, who emigrated to Georgia to start a plantation.
He returned to England for a few years in 1802, bringing his wife and family and at least four of his African servants with him. More of this story to follow.
Further research uncovered more details of his life story.
Frederick Brown, ‘a native of Guinea aged 22 years’, was baptised in St. Mary’s Church, Whitby, on 12 April, 1775. He was described by a local as ‘a Negro slave who stowed himself away on board the Prince Frederick belonging to Jonas Brown’, a Whitby ship-owner, – perhaps on the voyage from North Carolina which arrived back in Britain in February, 1775.[1]
Frederick seems to have had a number of jobs in the Whitby area, lodging at Sleights with his master Michael Agar, working for John Smallwood a Mason and, at some point towards the end of his life, at the Alum works. In between, perhaps he went to Hull to work for Jonas Brown’s son, also called Jonas who had a shipping business in the port. Jonas Brown junior (d.1833) was one of Hull’s city fathers, becoming a JP in 1801 and serving in that capacity until shortly before his death.
Information about Frederick’s life comes from oral history transcribed in Whitby in the 1880s. One incident in his life must have stuck in the memory of local people. When his employer John Smallwood was doing some repairs at Goathland Mill, ‘he let fall a large hammer into the water for which Brown dived but found it so fast between two blocks of stone that he couldn’t bring it up and [it is] probably there yet.’[2]
Few British people knew how to swim in those days, whereas people born and raised on the coast of West Africa were often excellent swimmers and divers – the diver Jacques Francis, for example, who was employed in the salvage operations for Henry VIII’s great ship the Mary Rose which sank in the 1540s. Another example is Hamlet, an enslaved man from Barbados who was sent to England in 1805 by his master, a plantation owner named Robert Haynes, to accompany his three sons who were coming to school in England. One of them, George, fell overboard when they were landing in Liverpool, whereupon Hamlet dived in and saved his life.[3]
Frederick Brown was mentioned a second time in the oral history records. When he was about 50 years old he was working at the Alum Works and lodging at Michael Agar’s in Sleights. Apparently he was something of a dandy and wore Hessian boots. ‘He left [Sleights] because J. Watson for fun hid his boot jack, becoming violent he was turned out and went to Hull.’ This happened in the latter part of the summer of 1812.[4]
Frederick Brown lived in Hull for a further four years. He died in the workhouse and was buried at Holy Trinity Church on 13 December, 1816. Jonas Brown senior had another son, Thomas, who emigrated to Georgia to start a plantation.
He returned to England for a few years in 1802, bringing his wife and family and at least four of his African servants with him. More of this story to follow.
Footnotes
[1] Recollection of Josh Watson recorded in 1881, Waddington Papers Vol. 9, p.297, Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society; Lloyds List No. 616, February 17, 1775, Prince Frederick [Capt.] Walker, arrived at Gravesend on February 16.
[2] Josh Watson, 1881, Waddington Papers Vol. 9, p.297.
[3] Kevin Dawson, “Enslaved Swimmers and Divers in the Atlantic World” in The Journal of American History, Vol. 92, No. 4, March 2006, p.1346. http://www.magrannclan.com/Dawson_JAH.pdf [accessed 20/05/2017]
[4] Josh Watson, 1881, Waddington Papers, Vol. 9, p.297
[1] Recollection of Josh Watson recorded in 1881, Waddington Papers Vol. 9, p.297, Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society; Lloyds List No. 616, February 17, 1775, Prince Frederick [Capt.] Walker, arrived at Gravesend on February 16.
[2] Josh Watson, 1881, Waddington Papers Vol. 9, p.297.
[3] Kevin Dawson, “Enslaved Swimmers and Divers in the Atlantic World” in The Journal of American History, Vol. 92, No. 4, March 2006, p.1346. http://www.magrannclan.com/Dawson_JAH.pdf [accessed 20/05/2017]
[4] Josh Watson, 1881, Waddington Papers, Vol. 9, p.297