Archives reveal London's East End offered haven for escaped slaves

Untold stories of Black Londoners who escaped slavery in the capital and banded together in the East End have been uncovered by researchers, who see parallels with America's Underground Railroad.

- Chris Osuh

Information found in Tower Hamlets archives dating back to the 16th century, and in "runaway notices" from 18th-century newspapers, have shed new light on historic Black communities - and grassroots resistance to slavery.

Hundreds of births, deaths and marriages of Black people were recorded between 1567 and 1802 in areas including Limehouse, Shadwell, Stepney and Wapping.

Researchers believe the records are a snapshot of larger East End communities where Black people lived alongside white working-class neighbours, and where people who escaped enslavement and indenture could hide. Some had escaped from docked slavers' ships, but many had been held in slavery in Britain.