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  • The Movie "Belle" Took Several Liberties While Telling Her Story on Random Things About The First Black Aristocrat & The Massacre That Helped Lead To The Abolition Of Slavery

    (#12) The Movie "Belle" Took Several Liberties While Telling Her Story

    The screenwriters for Belle captured the broad strokes of Belle's life, but as is usually the case with Hollywood, liberties were taken. One change involves Belle's husband; in real life she married a steward, but in the film her future husband is a law student.

    The biggest liberty taken is with Belle's involvement in the shocking Zong Insurance Case, which her great uncle was overseeing as a judge. In the movie, the case inspires Belle to become active in the fight to abolish slavery. In real life, however, it is doubtful that she had any active part in the trial, and there is no evidence that she became an abolitionist crusader.

  • She Was One Of Thousands Of Mixed-Race Children In England on Random Things About The First Black Aristocrat & The Massacre That Helped Lead To The Abolition Of Slavery

    (#10) She Was One Of Thousands Of Mixed-Race Children In England

    Many aspects of Belle's life were unique, but she was far from the only person of color in 18th century London. An estimated 10,000 Black people lived in the city when she was born in 1761, and there were countless more mixed-race residents.

    That didn't mean Belle was always welcome. As a mixed-race woman, she doubtless served as a reminder of British men's behavior in the Caribbean. Many men were away for long periods of time, either sailing or running plantations, often leaving their wives behind. It was simply a fact of life that many babies born on plantations were of mixed race.

  • Her Parents Probably Lived Together In Florida For A Time on Random Things About The First Black Aristocrat & The Massacre That Helped Lead To The Abolition Of Slavery

    (#9) Her Parents Probably Lived Together In Florida For A Time

    University of West Florida archaeologist Margo Stringfield believes that attitudes toward infidelity in 1700s Florida were much more relaxed than they were back in England. America and the Caribbean were seen as the frontier, where some of the rules didn't apply. It's possible that during the early years of their relationship, John Lindsay and Maria Belle lived together in Pensacola, FL, at least while Lindsay wasn't at sea.

    In an interview with the Telegraph, Stringfield said, "It was not unusual for men in frontier settings to have women with them that were not their wives," and that Maria "probably had women friends in a similar situation to herself here."

  • She Was The Child Of A Slave And A Naval Officer on Random Things About The First Black Aristocrat & The Massacre That Helped Lead To The Abolition Of Slavery

    (#8) She Was The Child Of A Slave And A Naval Officer

    Belle not only endured prejudice as a Black woman in 18th century England, but also as an illegitimate child. Her baptism records mention only her mother, an enslaved woman named Maria Bell (or Belle), not her father, Sir John Lindsay, who was a British Naval officer. Historians have pointed out that it is unknown whether or not the relationship was consensual. It is possible that the two met after Lindsay captured a slave ship on which Maria was a passenger.

    According to historical records, Maria accompanied Lindsay to Pensacola, FL, in 1764, when Belle was three years old. Lindsay eventually gifted Maria a lot in the town in 1772, and granted her her freedom in the same document.

     

     

  • She Was Raised Alongside The Daughter Of Another Family Member on Random Things About The First Black Aristocrat & The Massacre That Helped Lead To The Abolition Of Slavery

    (#5) She Was Raised Alongside The Daughter Of Another Family Member

    When Belle was brought to Lord Mansfield's home in 1766, she joined another young girl who had also lost her mother. Lady Elizabeth Murray was raised at Kenwood while her father, a cousin of Lord Mansfield, served as an ambassador to Austria and France.

    Lord and Lady Mansfield decided that Belle would make a good playmate for Elizabeth, and the two girls grew up with a close bond. They were both considered family, but they each received very different allowances – Belle received £30 each year, while Elizabeth received around £100.

    The Lord and Lady never had any biological children. Belle and Elizabeth were the only children they ever knew, and they reportedly cared for them as if they were their own.

  • She Was Treated Like Family, But Only Around Family Members on Random Things About The First Black Aristocrat & The Massacre That Helped Lead To The Abolition Of Slavery

    (#4) She Was Treated Like Family, But Only Around Family Members

    Even though Belle lived a life of luxury as part of the top one percent of England, her place in her home was complicated. A descendant of Lord Mansfield, William Murray, says, "She was treated like the rest of the family – when it was just the family. Where it got awkward is when they had guests in."

    Belle did not eat dinner with the rest of the family when they had guests. She was too high status to eat with the servants, but not high status enough to eat with her own family. However, she often rejoined the group after dinner for coffee or walks around the estate.

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Dido Elizabeth Belle was born in the British West Indies. Her father Sir John Lindsay was a British nobleman and navy captain, and her mother Maria Belle was an African slave. In 1765, Dido moved to England, his uncle, Earl of Mansfield, raised her up, and she became a wealthy heiress and the first influential aristocrat of African descent in the UK. Dido grew up in Kenwood, a royal estate on the outskirts of London, and was allowed to receive a royal education. 

The portrait of Scottish painter David Martin has attracted the attention of the public, this painting is hung in the Scone Palace in Scotland. People can clearly see that her skin color does not make her inferior in Kenwood. The random tool introduced 12 facts about the first black aristocrat in the UK who lead to the abolition of slavery.

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