The Story of Reasonable Blackman the Silk Weaver

In this video narration, actor Paterson Joseph tells the story of Reasonable Blackman.

Reasonable Blackman was an independent skilled silk weaver of African descent and a family man living in Southwark, just outside the City of London.

Southwark in the Tudor period was an area with deprivation and poverty, boasting a large number of alehouses and brothels, as well as five prisons. But it was also a place with thriving artisan trades and crafts, and home to the Rose Theatre.

It was a lively community with a high number of migrants from Europe and beyond, as foreigners could work freely in Southwark but not in the City of London.

The story of Reasonable Blackman continues our investigation of Black Tudors with expertise and skills. We also gain glimpses into Reasonable Blackman’s family life and children, and the community and times he lived in through evidence from Parish Records.