Reasonable Blackman

Reasonable Blackman (fl. 1579–1592) (also possibly known as John Reason, Reasonable Blakemore and Reasonable Blackmore) was an independent silk weaver who lived in Southwark, London, in the late 16th century. Based on his name, a number of sources since the 2010s have suggested he may have been among the earliest African people to live in Britain. If he was of African origin, he may have come to London via the Netherlands, which had a tiny African population at the time from Spanish and Portuguese colonies and also a significant trade in silk. Blackman's life is only known from a handful of mentions in administrative documents. The first record of Reasonable is dated to 1579 in the Parish records of St Saviour's church (later Southwark Cathedral), looking for a reservation for the Easter Sunday service. Historian Miranda Kaufmann has argued that in these documents he is described specifically as a "blackmor" or "blackmore", a popular term at the time used to denote people of a Sub Saharan African origin, rather than merely having the surname "Blackman" or "Blackmore", which in the 16th century could not be confidently used to indicate African origin, as these surnames were used by local English people, with their usage deriving from having dark hair, an origin in the various settlements named Moore, More, Blackmore, Blackmoor (including the one in Hampshire and Somerset), and Blakemere, or even simply that they lived in the vicinity of a moor. By 1587 Blackman was married and therefore clearly had sufficient means to support a family. It has been suggested that he made costumes for the theatres in the area. He had at least three children, of whom at least one, Edward, was baptised at St Olave's Church, Southwark in February 1587. A fourth child with a similar surname, John Blakemore,...