Georgian-Era Baptism Record Reveals Black Presence in Manchester Cathedral Archives

When abolitionist Thomas Clarkson delivered a sermon in 1787 at Manchester Cathedral — during the city’s first mass meeting against the transatlantic slave trade — he observed a “great crowd of black people standing round the pulpit.” Despite this pivotal moment, little is documented about Black Mancurians in the Georgian era until a recently uncovered parish record brought their stories to light.

Dating to 26 December 1798, the handwritten entry details the baptism of Indiana Mundi, a 14-year-old enslaved African girl from the Congo coast. Described as being “disposed of” to Mr. Paton in St Kitts and later transferred to Archibald Paton, MD, the record offers rare insight into the life of an enslaved person in 18th-century Manchester.

The discovery, made by cathedral research officer Cathy Hirst while reviewing 18th-century ledgers, aligns with evidence that Archibald Paton, a Liverpool physician who married Sarah Burton at the cathedral in November 1797, brought Indiana to Manchester. At the time, Black domestic servants were considered status symbols, and Indiana’s “exotic” name — Mundi, meaning “of the world” in Latin — reflects the era’s fascination with colonial identities.

Malik Al Nasir, a Cambridge academic and author of *Searching For My Slave Roots*, explains that British colonists often brought enslaved Africans to England as household servants. Girls like Indiana were prized but faced significant risks, including exploitation. Baptism, however, held profound significance. Malik notes that Christian rituals were deliberately discouraged in colonies due to fears of inspiring literacy or resistance. Moreover, many believed baptism could offer legal freedom, as it was argued that one could not baptize property.

This belief played a critical role in the abolitionist movement. In 1771, James Somerset — an enslaved man baptized in London with abolitionist godparents — refused to return to his “master,” Charles Stewart, after being baptized. Though Lord Mansfield’s ruling that no law legally permitted enslavement in England was narrow, it exposed a legal vulnerability that fueled further activism.

Somerset’s case influenced global discourse. Benjamin Franklin, who attended the proceedings, reported the outcome in America, bolstering arguments for emancipation and contributing to tensions leading to the American Revolutionary War. In England, enslaved individuals increasingly asserted freedom through baptism, though legal protections remained inconsistent.

While Clarkson’s 1787 sermon in Manchester attracted 10,500 petition signers and marked grassroots abolitionism, the legal status of individuals like Indiana and the Black congregants Clarkson saw remained ambiguous. Masters often sought to remove enslaved people from England to avoid legal challenges, even as some traveled to the country seeking baptism and freedom.

Parish records across Manchester reveal other individuals, such as Philip, a “Negro” buried in 1757, and Eliza Alburn, a 22-year-old “brown girl from Upper Germany” buried in 1831. Similar entries exist for West Indian children baptized in local chapels, underscoring the presence of people of African and Afro-Caribbean descent in Georgian and Victorian Manchester.

Yet Manchester Cathedral’s physical traces of its historical ties to slavery remain limited. The rediscovered Indiana Mundi record, Clarkson’s signature in the cathedral’s *Book of Strange Preachers*, and memorials to figures like Richard Assheton (bequeathing 244 enslaved laborers) and Dauntessy Hulme (an abolition opponent) highlight the institution’s complex legacy. As cathedral research officer Cathy Hirst states, “As an institution we have to deal with this history — we can’t just keep celebrating the fact that we were important to the abolitionist movement.”

Planned memorials, including one for Indiana Mundi funded by the Heritage Lottery, will be unveiled on Clarkson Day in October, challenging how cathedrals confront their historical complicity in systems of oppression. These efforts reflect broader movements to acknowledge and address legacies of slavery within public institutions.

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