Black people have lived in Britain for centuries – although their circumstances have varied greatly. Some have been enslaved and exploited, while others have enjoyed privilege and status. Trace their story to discover some of the quirky highs and lows of British history.

Records show that black men and women (0)___B____ in Britain in small numbers since at least the twelfth century, but it was the Empire that caused their numbers to swell exponentially in the 17th and 18th centuries.

As the British Empire expanded, African and Afro-Caribbean slaves were ferried across the seas (1) on plantations in the Caribbean or the Americas, where they had to do back breaking labour all their lives under the scalding sun.

Others, in much (2) numbers, were ferried into the ports of London, Liverpool and Bristol - on the same ships that brought imperial (3) such as tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, rum, fruit, wine, tobacco and oil to enrich the national economy.
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