Black African and Caribbean histories

1. About this guide

This guide will help you find records for researching the history of people of Black African and Caribbean heritage in London. Black presence in London is documented across a wide range of collections. The guide begins by identifying the major collections from Black individuals, community organisations, and businesses and then moves on to look more generally at the many classes of records valuable for the study of Black history. The guide is not exhaustive, and we are continuously rediscovering Black Londoners throughout the many and varied holdings at The London Archives.

2. Language and content

Language used to describe people of Black African and Caribbean heritage is ever changing and can have different meanings and associations for different people.

Throughout history, some words and terms have been used to degrade and dehumanise people. Within the archival records, there are numerous instances of derogatory and racist language. This language may appear on our catalogue if it occurs in the original file or in the name of an organisation. When searching our catalogue you may need to use historic terms to excavate Black histories. We have started a process of reviewing our own description work for harmful language and hope to continually improve and be conscious of our own impact.

The inclusion of the terms is not an endorsement of such language or an uncritical tolerance of the perpetuation of such language.

3. Core Collections

Please browse the catalogues for further details on each collection:

We also hold the following uncatalogued collections. Please contact the team if you would like to access them.

• Clarence Allen
• Dr Petronella Alexandrina Breinburg
• Noel Hardy
• SybilTheodora Phoenix
• Willis Darnley Wilkie
• Caribbean Parents Group
• Caribbean Parents Group Credit Union Limited
• Central London Arts Limited, The Drill Hall
• Black Ink
• Zoe Gospel Promotions Limited
• Commonplace Worship
• Caribbean Labour Solidarity
• Culture&

4. Complementary Collections

4.1. Parish records

Parish records are a vital source for researching the identity, age and occupation of people in London. Black people appear in our baptism, marriage and burial registers from the 16th century onwards. Many of these entries can be browsed on Switching the Lens.

See our research guide on parish registers for further information.

4.2. Court records

Court records can provide much information about life in London, including the different communities. Black Londoners appear in these records as prosecutors, witnesses and defendants.

See our research guide Criminal Court Cases: an overview for an introduction to these records.

4.3. Local authority and education records

The records of London government hold an abundance of information on all Londoners, particularly around housing, education, employment, leisure, health and welfare provision. Where files specifically focus on Black communities, they often reflect official policy responses to perceived 'problems' of integration and reflect prevailing attitudes to 'race relations'.

We hold the records of London-wide governing bodies from 1855 onwards. The archives of Greater London Council in GLC, Inner London Education Authority in ILEA, London Strategic Policy Unit in LSPU and the Greater London Authority in GLA in particular contain a wealth of material on community engagement and planning by London's top-tier of local government.

The GLC's Ethnic Minorities Committee was particularly active and its minutes in GLC/DG/MIN/049 and presented papers in GLC/DG/PRE/049 shed light on its work from 1981 to 1986. Other community initiatives can be sourced by searching GLC grant files such as GLC/RA/GR.

4.4. Charities and Associations

Several charities, associations, and political parties took an active interest in post Second World War 'race relations' and set up working groups to discuss the challenges faced by immigrant communities.

Significant collections include the London Council of Social Services in ACC/1888, Family Welfare Association in A/FWA, London Labour Party in ACC/2417, Association of County Councils in LMA/4243, Association of Greater London Older Women in LMA/4613 and Anti-Apartheid Movement London Branch in LMA/4421.

4.5. Religious Organisations

Records of missionary work in the Caribbean, Africa and America are held from 1838-1960s in the records of the Commonwealth and Continental Church Society in CLC/005 and the New England Company in CLC/540.

4.6. Colonial Records

While the transatlantic slave trade is documented in our collections, the records do not often give a direct account or representation of the voiceless individuals who were subjected to enslavement. Estate and family records may offer some insight into the lives of enslaved peoples in the Caribbean and America. See the records of Charles Watson in ACC/0455, the Cooper Family in ACC/0775, Mrs Parnel Seaton in ACC/1366, Angerstein Family in F/ANG and the Berney Family in LMA/4301.

London's colonial links with African and Caribbean countries can be found in business records, from papers of individual traders to records of major institutions. See for example the Bank of British West Africa in CLC/B/207-2.

4.7. 'Moving Here' Project

The 'Moving Here' project created a website which provided details and digital images of archival sources concerning 200 years of Migration of members of the Caribbean, South Asian, Irish and Jewish communities to the United Kingdom. The London Archives (under our previous name of London Metropolitan Archives) was one of the contributors. The original website is no longer live but is available to view on The National Archives' web archive: Moving Here Project.

4.8. Further reading

Many relevant books can be found in our library. For a full list, please search for 20.171 in our library catalogue and narrow the results to The London Archives.