Wolverhampton blue plaque marks story of former slave

Wolverhampton's mayor will unveil the plaque at a history fair being held at Molineux House on Saturday

A blue plaque is to be unveiled later to remember a former west African slave who was a servant for the city's Molineux family before becoming an entrepreneur.

George John Scipio Africanus was educated by the family and later became a successful brass foundry owner.

The city's mayor will unveil the plaque at Wolverhampton Archives History Fair before it is fitted to Molineux House.

Former Wolverhampton MP Rob Marris has sponsored the plaque.

The project was organised by The Wolverhampton Society which has been adding plaques to sites around the city since 1983.

Its chairman, David Dungar, said: "George Africanus symbolises the cultural integration that has taken place in Wolverhampton over 300 years and shows there are no racial barriers to making something of yourself if you are from Wolverhampton.

"Any people of all races are proud to say they are from Wolverhampton.

"The city is probably the most racially integrated city in the UK - the process started 300 years ago with George Africanus and that is why we are proud."

The Molineux family were wealthy business owners and their legacy lives on across the city

Saturday's unveiling by Wolverhampton mayor Dr Michael Hardacre coincides with Black History Month.

Africanus is thought to have been born in Sierra Leone in 1763, then presented to the Molineux family in Wolverhampton in 1766.

The family granted him his freedom and he went on to entrepreneurship after moving to Nottingham as an adult in 1784.

Belong Nottingham, a community development charity that researched Africanus's life, previously said there were many unanswered questions about his history, including why the Molineux family educated him, and whether he had any living descendants.

He was buried in Nottingham in 1834 and his grave, in the churchyard of St Mary's in the Lace Market, was uncovered in 2003 and a plaque was later added there.

In Wolverhampton on Friday another plaque was revealed during the fair, with this one marking the site of the old Wolverhampton Royal Hospital to coincide with the 75th year of the NHS.

The plaque, sponsored by the Royal Wolverhampton Nurses League, will at a later date be attached to the building, which is being redeveloped into apartments.