Historicising and reconnecting rural community: black presences and the legacies of slavery and colonialism in rural Britain, c.1600-1939

The conventional image of the English country house is one of luxury and splendour and forms part of a wider rural idyll central to ideas of British identity and rural community. This project aims to unpack such conventions by reviewing evidence from a range of sources and disciplines of the historical impacts of slavery and colonialism on the British countryside, including evidence on black lives and their integration into rural society. It also seeks to examine the social dynamics surrounding the production and reception of such histories and to develop further opportunities for engagement with them. Collective notions of identity, expressed as community, are important frames for both rural and black groups. However, as appeals to community can be used to separate as well as connect people this project aims to understand how the term is used in historical and contemporary contexts and the material effects of its deployment. Knowledge of these historical presences, connections and legacies in rural Britain is patchy, and sites in the eastern part of the country have been especially neglected.

There are three main elements to the project. Firstly a review of academic, agency and third sector literature on: a) histories both of black and ethnic minority presences and of slavery and colonialism in rural Britain, c.1600-1939; and b) recent public heritage initiatives. Secondly archival scoping to create a summary database of collections relating to black and ethnic minority presence and the histories of slavery and colonialism in the rural East Midlands and East Anglia, c.1600-1939, identifying any related public heritage work in these regions today. Thirdly a series of four workshops to bring together academics, heritage and museum professionals, local authority heritage/outreach officials, 'community' group representatives and wider publics to exchange information and reflect on the issues surrounding the public representation of such histories. This would involve the challenges of repositioning conventionally powerful groups, including those whose histories offer contrasting philanthropic and enslavement narratives, as well as the presentation of subaltern stories in ways which can be integrated into heritage sites in a practical way. An advisory group comprised of academic, agency and third sector representatives will provide expert advice throughout the duration of the project. These activities will enable more reflective and contextualised collaborative relationships between academics, heritage organisations and diverse publics over histories and legacies of slavery and colonialism in rural Britain.

Enabling knowledge exchange with stakeholders beyond UK academia, the proposed project has the capacity for cultural, social and economic impact on a local, regional and national scale. In particular, it has the potential for impact within the rural heritage sector, and amongst groups promoting the wider social welfare of black and minority ethnic groups. Key stakeholders in the project, representatives of whom have already been invited, include:

i) National policy makers, most notably English Heritage, a key government agency which advises on policy and manages a range of historic rural property, but also bodies such as the Rural Communities Policy Unit of Defra.
ii) UK local authorities, which manage historic properties and run county archive, museum and community outreach activities.
iii) The UK third sector, including charitable organizations promoting the rights and interests of black and ethnic minority communities in Britain (e.g. the Black and Asian Studies Association), charities which manage historic properties (e.g. The National Trust), and those which represent rural communities (e.g. Action with Communities in Rural England, the umbrella body for the Rural Community Action Network).
iv) Privately-owned rural heritage sites and businesses, such as Thoresby Park, Nottinghamshire.
v) Diverse publics, especially rural communities in Britain, including local history and parish groups, such as Diaspora Norfolk and Nottinghamshire Local History Association.

Bringing together such a diverse range of stakeholders, the project has been designed to enhance the effectiveness of public policy in the rural heritage and rural community spheres by providing new information, new expertise networks and further coordination of activities. In particular, it will support the more effective achievement of equality policy and access for black and minority ethnic groups in local authorities and charities which manage rural heritage sites.

On another level it will also directly benefit the particular individuals and organizations represented within the advisory group (see collaborating activities document), as well as those invited to participate in the consultation and development workshops. In particular it will enable skills development for a variety of stakeholders. So, for example, as well as inviting senior representatives from heritage organizations, such as English Heritage, who may be in a position to influence and/or implement policy change, we also intend to include front-of-house staff from Rufford Abbey in the community workshops, since it is such staff who face the public and their questions. More broadly, the project will enable provision of information on how to find relevant materials on this topic and the development of networking skills with diverse groups and publics.

In the longer term, the project have been designed to further impact upon public understandings of black presences and the histories of slavery and colonialism in rural Britain by encouraging reflective and contextualised collaborative relationships between academics, heritage organisations and diverse publics in projects concerned with the representation of black histories and the legacies of slavery and colonialism in rural Britain. It will achieve this by:
i) Facilitating access to the range of research and archive sources summarized by the scoping review and to experts in the field.
ii) Enabling networking between established groups and stakeholders.
iii) Creating new connections between existing but previously unlinked groups.
iv) Encouraging new people to become involved in this interest area.

Finally, the project has the potential for impact on an international scale, since it is likely to be of interest to scholars and other stakeholders in countries with comparable slavery and colonial histories and legacies to Britain, and who face similar challenges in integrating these histories within heritage sites.