In the 1640s, Black communities existed in London and in most of England's port cities, communities from which men would fight and die throughout the English Civil War. There's still little evidence of the lives of these individuals. So what do we know of the Black men who took up arms during the Civil War? On which side did they fight? Were they free or enslaved? And what can this participation tell us about how race was perceived in the early modern period?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out from Sophie Merrix, whose research is uncovering the lesser known racial diversity of the Civil War battlefields.

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, the audio editor is Max Carrey and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

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