The story of the first recorded Black musician in England is fascinating
The first record we have of a Black person in the UK, where we have both a picture and written records, does not date from the arrival of the Imperial Windrush but much earlier.
In February 1511, Henry VIII hosted a pageant to celebrate the birth of his son. The pageant was recorded in a 60-foot long, vellum scroll, painted by the heraldic artists of the College of Arms. In beautiful detail, it records two days of royal sport and festivities. At the start of the roll, you can see 6 trumpet players, no doubt playing a stirring fanfare, the 6 reappear in the final image. 5 of the musicians are pretty well identical, a Tudor form of clip art, but the sixth is different. First of all, he is wearing a hat and more notably he is Black.
| …he asked for a promotion and a doubling of his salary! Which, by the way, the king agreed to. |
His name is John Blanke. We know this because his wages are recorded in the king’s accounts. There are 7 payments recorded to John Blanke “the black trumpet”. This isn’t the only record we have of John, he also wrote a letter to the king.
In all likelihood, John came to England as part of Katherine of Aragon’s household when she arrived to marry Henry’s elder brother, Arthur. Clearly, he was a man who was both literate and bold, the first we know because he penned a letter the second because he asked for a promotion and a doubling of his salary! Which, by the way, the king agreed to.
We know that John went on to marry, the king gave him a bonnet as a wedding present, but after that very little is known.
As a postscript note, it has to be said that Henry Vlll was very much a complex and controversial king and you wouldn’t have wanted to be one of his wives, but he was way ahead of his time with how people from different ethnicities to "one's" own should be treated in England. An aspect of his character we should all seek to emulate.
Published: 27 July 2021
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