Harriet Jacobs gave an account of Steventon in the 19th Century

Harriet Jacobs's book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was self-published in 1861

The story of an enslaved American woman who visited an English village in the 19th Century has resurfaced thanks to a local historian.

Abolitionist and writer Harriet Jacobs, born in North Carolina, travelled to Steventon, Oxfordshire, in 1845.

She described visiting "little thatched cottages" and said she did not see "the slightest symptom of prejudice".

Sharron Jenkinson from Steventon History Society has written an article about Ms Jacobs's journey to England.

In her 1861 book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Ms Jacobs describes her visit to the village as a "memorable event".

"The people I saw around me were, many of them, among the poorest poor," she wrote.

"But when I visited them in their little thatched cottages, I felt that the condition of even the meanest and most ignorant among them was vastly superior to the condition of the most favoured slaves in America.

"During all that time, I never saw the slightest symptom of prejudice against color.

"Indeed, I entirely forgot it, till the time came for us to return to America."

'A unique insight'

Ms Jacobs was taught to read, write and sew by her mistress while living with the tavern-owning Horniblow family.

Later she said she lived "a life of misery" as she suffered sexual abuse from her next owner, Dr James Norcom.

In 1835, she escaped and spent seven years in hiding, after which she was taken in by the popular writer Nathaniel Parker Willis to be nanny to his daughter Imogen.

Ms Jacobs developed a bond with the Willis family and in 1845 she travelled with them on a long visit to England so that Imogen could meet her English relatives.

"I was immediately fascinated by Harriet's story and wondered why I hadn't come across her before," Mrs Jenkinson said.

"I was impressed with the quality of her writing as well as with the insights into her life and the lives of others that she met. She did not pull punches. "

Mrs Jenkinson said that she had not come across another "first hand account of our village by enslaved people" which made her believe Ms Jacob's writings to be "quite a unique insight".

She wrote an article about her life, which she said received "a great deal of favourable response".

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was self-published and promoted by other abolitionists, becoming a huge success and earning Ms Jacobs respect across the Northern states.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].