Freedom Seekers: Escaping from Slavery in Restoration London reveals
the hidden stories of enslaved and bound people who attempted to escape from captivity
in England's capital.
In 1655 White Londoners began advertising in the English-speaking
world's first newspapers for enslaved people who had escaped. Based
on the advertisements placed in these newspapers by masters and enslavers offering
rewards for so-called runaways, this book brings to light for the
first time the history of slavery in England as revealed in the stories of resistance by enslaved workers. Featuring a series of case-studies of
individual "freedom-seekers", this book explores the nature and significance of
escape attempts as well as detailing the likely routes and networks they would take to gain their freedom.
The book demonstrates that not
only were enslaved people present in Restoration London but that White Londoners of this era were intimately involved in the construction
of the system of racial slavery, a process that traditionally has been regarded
as happening in the colonies rather than the British Isles. An unmissable and
important book that seeks to delve into Britain's colonial past.
