Person    | Male 

John Blanke

Categories: Music / songs, Race Issues

Countries: Africa

Trumpeter in the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He probably came to England as one of the African attendants of Catherine of Aragon in 1501, and is one of the earliest recorded black people in England after the Roman period. Wikipedia strangely says that his surname may be a reference to his skin colour, derived either from the word 'black' or from the French 'blanc' meaning white!

The first person of African descent in British history for whom there is both an image and a record.

This image shows Blanke playing at the Westminster Tournament of 1511.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
John Blanke

Commemorated ati

John Blanke

Black trumpeter John Blanke musician at the courts of Henry VII & Henry V...

Read More

John Blanke - Trinity Laban Conservatoire

'fl' stands for 'floruit' (Latin) which means 'he or she flourished', and den...

Read More

Other Subjects

Black Music Congress, etc.

Black Music Congress, etc.

A number of groups related to black music history seem to have come and gone; it's difficult to disentangle them. These links were working in 2021: Black History Month, IRDUK (mentioned on the post...

Group, Community / Clubs, Music / songs, Race Issues

1 memorial
H. R. S. Pulman

H. R. S. Pulman

Student of Trinity College of Music, killed in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces, Music / songs

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Flamingo Club

Flamingo Club

Former nightclub. Founded by father and son, Sam and Jeffrey Kruger, and originally located in Covenrtry Street. It moved to Wardour Street in April 1957 and gained a reputation for attracting top ...

Place, Music / songs

2 memorials
Newman Hall

Newman Hall

Non-conformist minister and hymn writer. Born Maidstone, Kent as Christopher Newman Hall. 1854 became minister of Surrey Chapel. Promoted the abolition of slavery and in 1867 visited North America,...

Person, Music / songs, Race Issues, Religion

2 memorials
J. Witty

J. Witty

Student of Trinity College of Music, killed in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces, Music / songs

War dead, WW1
1 memorial