Classical musician Ignatius Sancho to be honoured

Former cabinet minister Lord Boateng heads the drive for a memorial

Ignatius Sancho (Photograph: Archives)

A CAMPAIGN has been launched for the memorial of a composer, former slave and abolitionist Ignatius Sancho.

Lord Paul Boating, a chancellor at Greenwich University and former Cabinet Minister, will chair the representative committee set up early last year in an effort to honour the life and legacy of Sancho.

Born in the middle passage of the Atlantic, a young Sancho was orphaned in the Spanish dominions and brought to southeast London as an enslaved toddler at just 2-years-old. 

He was later freed by the Montagu family and lived from around 1729 to 1780.

It was during this lifetime that he became an esteemed classical musician, composing over 100 dances and minuets. He was a playwright and a man of letters, and became the first black man to vote in a Westminster election.

After his time spent with the Montagu family, he went on to run a grocery shop in Charles Street and remained a staunch critic of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, while befriending abolitonists such as Charles James Fox. 

He along with numerous aristocrats subscribed to books of his letters to provide a legacy for his widow.

The campaign to honour the life of Sancho will feature a bas relief on the wall of Greenwich Park, close to where the 18th century celebrity was head of household for the Duke and Duchess of Montagu and where his first plaque was unveiled in 2007.

Lord Boateng now hopes to implement a sculptured relief of Sancho, based on his portrait by Gainsborough, above the existing plaque in the Park which was unveiled at the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British empire. 

The Sancho Committee has built widespread support since the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement last year and the under-representation of ethnic minorities. 

Speaking on his mission to help honour Sancho in his new role, Lord Boateng said: “Greenwich is rightly associated with the UK’s global reach. 

“I am delighted therefore, not least as Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, to have been asked to chair an initiative that highlights Sancho’s significance to global history. 

“This remarkable black musician, entrepreneur, and activist represents in his life and work the triumph of talent over adversity, and the special link between the UK, Africa, and its diaspora.”

The campaign is expected to advance further this year with pending announcements to be made.

Those behind the campaign are reportedly in talks with artists and organising fundraising avenues.

It dovetails with the current Lottery-funded scheme for Greenwich Park Revealed, organised by the Trustees of the Royal Parks, which have previously referenced Sancho. 

A plaque for Olaudah Equiano, the prominent abolitionist and writer – and Sancho’s younger contemporary – has already recently been erected by Nubian Jak Community Trust in Maze Hill, adjoining Greenwich Park in December last year. 

Lord Boateng added: “Ignatius Sancho is an inspirational figure who reached out across and broke down racial barriers in his time.

“We can all learn from his fortitude in the face of adversity, his steadfast resilience and passionate commitment to always offer the very best of himself.

“Greenwich with its multicultural community and global reach  is a fitting place to commemorate this remarkable man I am delighted as Chancellor of the local University to be chairing this Appeal so that this author, activist, musician and entrepreneur can be better  commemorated with a work of art worthy of him and the cause of racial justice and equal opportunity.”

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