How Many Black People Were in the Regency Aristocracy, Anyway?

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in Netflix’s Bridgerton series.

With the success of Netflix’s Bridgerton — it’s quickly become the platform’s biggest original series ever — people naturally have questions about what that era actually looked like. For people who are used to homogenous (read: white) period dramas, Bridgerton was probably more than a little shocking. The showrunners set out to create a diverse cast and hired Black actors and actresses for some of the show’s major roles, like Queen Charlotte (above) and, of course, the swoon-worthy Duke of Hastings.

Cue the thinly-veiled outrage. It’s not that we don’t want to see Black people in period dramas, it’s just…that…it’s not period accurate! There we go.

People protesting diversity in the name of historical accuracy have a bit of a rude awakening in store. In honor of Black History Month, our episode on race and the Regency, and our latest episode on Regency-era class, let’s take a look at the Black upper-class in Britain during Jane Austen’s time.

Black Population in England

First, let’s make it clear — there were Black people in England before World War II. There were Africans in Britain before the people we know today as the English made it there.

Most people are familiar with Hadrian’s Wall, a relic of the Roman Empire. What you might not know is that “a division of Moors” from North Africa helped to guard it in the 3rd century AD. They were listed in an official Roman register, giving us strong historical proof that Black people were in England approximately…1200 years before most people believe Black British history begins.

As you fast forward through the years, you have Black people represented in famous plays like Othello, serving in the British Navy, and entering the public sphere as writers. The population was small, but it was present. By the Regency Era, the time period in which Bridgerton is set and when Jane Austen wrote most of her novels, Black people were a normal part of British life.

Most sources agree that there were about 20,000 Black people living in England at this time, most of them concentrated in industrial areas or port cities.

Black Representation in the Aristocracy

Here is where Bridgerton did take some historical liberties — the majority of the Black population in England at this time was working class. To have a TV show without the specter of racism lurking just out of frame, the writers had to create an alternate universe where racism didn’t affect our heroes’ storylines.

It let the show still be soapy and fun without getting too serious, and people of color could just enjoy seeing themselves on screen without race-related stress. It’s nice to watch people who look like you dealing with petty problems like who’s in love with who and not “my love interest doesn’t think I’m fully human.”

However, even though the real-life “Ton” was not a magically accepting and diverse place, there were actually Black people dotted throughout Britain’s upper-class.

One of the most famous examples is Dido Belle, whose story was most recently adapted for the big screen by Amma Asante in 2013’s Belle. She was born into slavery to an African woman and an English gentleman, Sir John Lindsay. However, she was raised with her cousin in the house of Lord Mansfield, a judge whose decisions helped move the country closer to abolishing slavery.

Later in the century, in the Victorian Era, Sara Forbes Bonetta was born a Yoruba princess, was sold into slavery, and through a wild sequence of events ended up sent to England, where she met the queen. Queen Victoria was so impressed with her that she raised her as her goddaughter. When Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Alice was married, Sara was there as a guest.

Sara Forbes Bonetta in 1862. Image via Wikimedia Commons

And at the highest level, there’s been some debate over whether or not Queen Charlotte herself had enough African ancestry to be considered Black.

A small number of free Black families owned property and were wealthy enough to send their children overseas to receive an education. While Bridgerton's representation of the aristocracy might be a fantasy, the idea of Black people in the upper-crust of historical British society is not.

Why Didn’t I Learn This in School?

Racism.

But if you want to keep learning, check out Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain by Peter Fryer or Black London: Life Before Emancipation by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, which is available for free from Dartmouth.

If reading a book isn’t in the cards for you right now, this BBC video is a great primer under eight minutes.

Final Takeaways

Casting Black people in a period drama isn’t a symptom of PC culture, it’s not necessarily historical revisionism — it’s actually getting closer to how the past truly looked. At the same time, fans of color finally get to see themselves represented on screen in a way that feels affirming instead of demeaning.

Black history hasn’t been taught as exhaustively as it deserves to be, but with shows like Bridgerton, Sanditon, and other period pieces that have decided to get creative with casting, more people are excited to start learning. That’s a win, no matter how you look at it.

Craving more content like this? Subscribe to Reclaiming Jane, an Austen podcast for fans on the margins. New episodes are released every other Wednesday.