Andrew Watson: Scotland’s Captain in Football’s Early Years
Andrew Watson captained Scotland in 1881 and helped shape clubs on both sides of the border. His football, education and family records connect a remarkable sporting…
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Read the article: Andrew Watson: Scotland’s Captain in Football’s Early Years
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Adelaide Hall: Jazz and a Life on Stage
Read the article: Adelaide Hall: Jazz and a Life on StageAdelaide Hall’s voice travelled from Broadway and Duke Ellington’s orchestra to London clubs, wartime radio and the West End. Recordings, theatre credits and rare surviving film…
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Ira Aldridge: Shakespeare and the Stage
Read the article: Ira Aldridge: Shakespeare and the StageIra Aldridge built a Shakespearean career across Britain and Europe, performing far beyond the role of Othello. Playbills, letters and a striking entry in Shakespeare’s Birthplace…
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Ottobah Cugoano: Writing Against Slavery
Read the article: Ottobah Cugoano: Writing Against SlaveryOttobah Cugoano’s 1787 book joined personal testimony to a demanding argument about slavery, faith and government. From his childhood in the Fante country to political life…
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Dido Elizabeth Belle: Family, Work and the Kenwood Portrait
Read the article: Dido Elizabeth Belle: Family, Work and the Kenwood PortraitA portrait, a visitor’s diary and household accounts preserve different views of Dido Elizabeth Belle’s life at Kenwood. Reading them together reveals her family connections, responsibilities…
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John Blanke: The Tudor Trumpeter in the Royal Records
Read the article: John Blanke: The Tudor Trumpeter in the Royal RecordsJohn Blanke appears in Tudor wage accounts, a petition for higher pay and the painted Westminster Tournament Roll. Together, these records reveal a Black musician’s working…
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The Mangrove Nine: The Restaurant, the Protest and the Trial
Read the article: The Mangrove Nine: The Restaurant, the Protest and the TrialA Notting Hill restaurant became the focus of a campaign against police harassment and a landmark trial. The Mangrove Nine’s statements, courtroom arguments and later memories…
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Olive Morris: Organising for Housing, Education and Black Women
Read the article: Olive Morris: Organising for Housing, Education and Black WomenOlive Morris organised across housing, education and the Black women’s movement in Brixton and Manchester. Her own writing and the memories of fellow campaigners reveal the…
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Walter Tull: Football, Service and a Life Beyond the Headlines
Read the article: Walter Tull: Football, Service and a Life Beyond the HeadlinesWalter Tull was a footballer, a brother, a printing apprentice and an Army officer. Family papers, club records and his commission application reveal the relationships and…
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Una Marson: Poetry, Broadcasting and a Caribbean Voice in Britain
Read the article: Una Marson: Poetry, Broadcasting and a Caribbean Voice in BritainBefore her work at the BBC, Una Marson had edited a magazine, published poetry and written for the stage. Her years in London brought those activities…