BBC
Radio 4 explores the lives of Black Elizabethans
BBC
Radio 4 travels back in time for Elizabethan Subjects, a
five part series from Monday 24 to Friday 28 March at 3.45pm, exploring
the lives of some of Elizabeth I's more unusual subjects.
The
series paints a compelling picture of the forgotten subjects in
Elizabeth's England and is part of BBC Radio 4's Elizabethan Echoes
season celebrating the 400th anniversary of Elizabeth I's death.
In
the first in the series social historian Justin Champion, University
of London, looks at how the presence of Moorish, Black and Asian
immigrants in London contributed to a melting-pot of cultures and
influences.
He
discovers some astonishing early racism by none other than Elizabeth
I herself.
"Her
Majesty understanding that several blackamoors have lately been
brought into this realm, of which kind of people there are already
too many here
Her Majesty's pleasure therefore is that those
kind of people should be expelled from the land."
Proclamation by Elizabeth I, July 1596.
Many
of these immigrants, after a traumatic journey from warmer climes
to chilly London, found that the employment options open to them
were extremely limited and ended up in some form of domestic service.
Despite
this discrimination, Justin Champion explains how Black Elizabethans
contributed to the British nation: "The encounter with peoples
from around the globe (literally from all over the world) brought
a fantastic diversity to English culture: it's an aspect of our
history that is often forgotten or denied.
"There
has been a black presence in the country for centuries so, in one
sense, English society as we know it has been shaped by their contribution,
too."
In
the remaining programmes in Elizabethan Subjects, Justin Champion
explores the life of Puritans, Elizabethan women, the criminal underworld
and the intriguing life of the alchemist John Dee.
Other
highlights in BBC Radio 4's Elizabethan Echoes season include We
Elizabethans - examining the parallels between today's society and
that of the Elizabethans; The Discovery of England - showing how
our view of the nation was shaped by the era; and The Thistle and
The Rose - an exploration of the relationship between Elizabeth
I and her godson James VI.
Elizabethan
Subjects, BBC Radio 4, Monday 24 to Friday 28 March 2003, 3.45-4.00pm.
BBC
Radio 4's Elizabethan Echoes starts on Monday 24 March with We Elizabethans
at 11.00am.
All the
BBC's digital services are now available on Freeview,
the new free-to-view digital terrestrial television service, as well
as on satellite and cable.
Freeview
offers the BBC's eight television channels, interactive services
from BBCi, as well as 11 BBC radio networks.
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