Ukawsaw Gronniosaw
Encyclopedia
Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, also known as James Albert, (born ca. 1705 - 1775) was a freed slave and autobiographer. His autobiography is considered the first published by an African in Britain.
in the late 1760s. It is entitled A Narrative of the Most remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, an African Prince, As related by himself. The title page explains that it was: committed to paper by the elegant pen of a young LADY of the town of LEOMINSTER. It was the first Slave narrative
in the English language
. Published in Bath in 1772, it gives a vivid account of Gronniosaw's life, from his capture in Africa
through slavery
to a life of poverty in Colchester
and Kidderminster
. He was attracted to this last town because it was at one time the home of Richard Baxter
, a seventeenth century Calvinist minister whom Gronniosaw much admired.
The preface was written by the Reverend Walter Shirley
, cousin to Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon
, who was the chief patron of the Calvinist wing of Methodism
. He interprets Gronniosaw's experience of enslavement and his journey from Bornu to New York
as an example of Calvinist predestination
and election
.
A reference to his white-skinned sister, his willingness to leave Africa as his family believed in many deities instead of one almighty God, the fact that the closer to a white European he became — through clothing but mostly via language — the happier he was, his description of another black servant at his master's house as a 'devil', have led critics to the conclusion that the narrative is devoid of the anti-slavery backlash ubiquitous in subsequent slave narratives.
Until the recent discovery of an obituary
, the Narrative was the only significant source for the life of Gronniosaw.
(now north-eastern Nigeria
): he claims he was doted on as the grandson of the king of Zaara. At the age of 15, he was taken by a Gold Coast
ivory merchant and sold to a Dutch captain for two yards of check cloth. He was bought by an American in Barbados and resold to a Calvinist minister in New York
. There he was taught to read and brought up as a Christian. When the minister died, he chose to stay with his widow, and subsequently their orphans, until he was left without support.
Gronniosaw then enlisted as a cook with a privateer
, and later as a soldier in the British army. He served in Martinique
and Cuba
, before obtaining his discharge and crossing to England. At first he settled in Portsmouth, but, when his landlady swindled him out of most of his savings, was forced to seek his fortune in London. There he married a young English widow, Betty, who already had a child and bore him at least two more. They were forced by industrial unrest to look for work in Colchester
, where they were saved from starvation by a Christian, presumably Dissenting
, lawyer, who employed Gronniosaw in building work. Moving to Norwich, they again fell on hard times. Once again, they were saved by the kindness of a Dissenter, a Quaker who paid their rent arears. A daughter died and was refused burial by the local clergy, although one at last offered to allow her to be buried in the churchyard, but not to read the burial service.
After pawning all their possessions, the family moved to Kidderminster
, where Betty managed to support them by working as a weaver. There he worked on his life story, with the help apparently of a secretary from nearby Leominster
. Until recently, nothing was known of his later life.
However, Chester local historian Terry Kavanagh has discovered a short obituary in the The Chester
Chronicle, dated 2 October 1775:
Harris, Jennifer. "Seeing the Light: Re-Reading James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw.” English Language Notes 42.4, 2005: 43-57.
The autobiography
Gronniosaw's autobiography was produced in KidderminsterKidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
in the late 1760s. It is entitled A Narrative of the Most remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, an African Prince, As related by himself. The title page explains that it was: committed to paper by the elegant pen of a young LADY of the town of LEOMINSTER. It was the first Slave narrative
Slave narrative
The slave narrative is a literary form which grew out of the written accounts of enslaved Africans in Britain and its colonies, including the later United States, Canada and Caribbean nations...
in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Published in Bath in 1772, it gives a vivid account of Gronniosaw's life, from his capture in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
through slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
to a life of poverty in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
and Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
. He was attracted to this last town because it was at one time the home of Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymn-writer, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he made his reputation by his ministry at Kidderminster, and at around the same time began a long...
, a seventeenth century Calvinist minister whom Gronniosaw much admired.
The preface was written by the Reverend Walter Shirley
Walter Shirley (clergyman)
Walter Shirley was an English clergyman, hymn-writer, and controversialist, of Calvinist and Methodist views.-Life:The fourth son of the Hon. Laurence Shirley and Anne, daughter of Sir Walter Clarges, bart., he was born at Staunton Harrold, Leicestershire, on 23 September 1725...
, cousin to Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon
Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon
Selina, Countess of Huntingdon was an English religious leader who played a prominent part in the religious revival of the 18th century and the Methodist movement in England and Wales, and has left a Christian denomination in England and Sierra Leone.-Early life:Selina Hastings was born as Lady...
, who was the chief patron of the Calvinist wing of Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
. He interprets Gronniosaw's experience of enslavement and his journey from Bornu to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as an example of Calvinist predestination
Predestination
Predestination, in theology is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others...
and election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
.
A reference to his white-skinned sister, his willingness to leave Africa as his family believed in many deities instead of one almighty God, the fact that the closer to a white European he became — through clothing but mostly via language — the happier he was, his description of another black servant at his master's house as a 'devil', have led critics to the conclusion that the narrative is devoid of the anti-slavery backlash ubiquitous in subsequent slave narratives.
Until the recent discovery of an obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
, the Narrative was the only significant source for the life of Gronniosaw.
Life
Gronniosaw was probably born in BornuBorno State
Borno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State...
(now north-eastern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
): he claims he was doted on as the grandson of the king of Zaara. At the age of 15, he was taken by a Gold Coast
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ivory merchant and sold to a Dutch captain for two yards of check cloth. He was bought by an American in Barbados and resold to a Calvinist minister in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. There he was taught to read and brought up as a Christian. When the minister died, he chose to stay with his widow, and subsequently their orphans, until he was left without support.
Gronniosaw then enlisted as a cook with a privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
, and later as a soldier in the British army. He served in Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, before obtaining his discharge and crossing to England. At first he settled in Portsmouth, but, when his landlady swindled him out of most of his savings, was forced to seek his fortune in London. There he married a young English widow, Betty, who already had a child and bore him at least two more. They were forced by industrial unrest to look for work in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, where they were saved from starvation by a Christian, presumably Dissenting
English Dissenters
English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.They originally agitated for a wide reaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell....
, lawyer, who employed Gronniosaw in building work. Moving to Norwich, they again fell on hard times. Once again, they were saved by the kindness of a Dissenter, a Quaker who paid their rent arears. A daughter died and was refused burial by the local clergy, although one at last offered to allow her to be buried in the churchyard, but not to read the burial service.
After pawning all their possessions, the family moved to Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
, where Betty managed to support them by working as a weaver. There he worked on his life story, with the help apparently of a secretary from nearby Leominster
Leominster
Leominster is a market town in Herefordshire, England, located approximately north of the city of Hereford and south of Ludlow, at...
. Until recently, nothing was known of his later life.
However, Chester local historian Terry Kavanagh has discovered a short obituary in the The Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
Chronicle, dated 2 October 1775:
- 'On Thursday died, in this city, aged 70, James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, an African prince, of Zoara. He left the country in the early part of his life, with a view to acquire proper notions of the Divine Being, and of the worship due to Him. He met with many trials and embarrassments, was much afflicted and persecuted. His last moments exhibited that cheerful serenity which, at such a time, is the certain effect of a thorough conviction of the great truths of Christianity. He published a narrative of his life. Chester St Oswald's Burial 28th Sept. 1775: James Albert (a blackm), aged 70.'
Additional Sources
Echero, Michael. "Theologizing 'Underneath the Tree': an African topos in Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, William Blake, and William Cole." Research in African Literatures. 23.4 (Winter 1992). 51-58.Harris, Jennifer. "Seeing the Light: Re-Reading James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw.” English Language Notes 42.4, 2005: 43-57.