In Greater Manchester
- How money from slavery made Greater Manchester
- The importance of cotton in north west England
- The Lancashire cotton famine
- Smoking, drinking and the British sweet tooth
- Black presence in Britain and north west England
- Resistance and campaigns for abolition
- The bicentenary of British abolition
Global
What evidence is there of a black presence in Britain and north west England?
Portrait of a lady, Mary or Anne Butterworth
Attributed to John Michael Wright (1617-1694), about 1660
Oil on canvas
Object number 276
Bequeathed by Colonel TR Phillip, Belfield Hall, Rochdale
See this object at Touchstones Rochdale This object may not always be on display. Please check with the venue before visiting.
Enlarge image © Touchstones Rochdale
This portrait depicts a lady with an unnamed black servant pouring water onto her hand. It is thought to be of either Mary or Anne Butterworth of Belfield Hall near Rochdale and is dated to about 1660.
The black servant draws attention to the Butterworths' wealth and social standing. However, at some point he was painted out of the picture. It was only during conservation work on the painting in 1969, that x-ray techniques revealed his presence. This demonstrates how the use of black servants was a fashion no longer acceptable in England by the end of the 1700s.
This information was provided by curators from Touchstones Rochdale.