A water colour of an ‘ayah’ or nanny and her charge Ada Hicks, painted by Margaret Scott Gatty, 1850’s/60’s.
Sheffield City Archives: MD2687/2The ‘ayah’ must’ve been employed by the Hicks family in India, where the father was stationed. The family would’ve been visiting Page Hall, where Gatty lived. This picture was found in Gatty’s sketch books.
The ‘ayah’ is nameless. I wonder how much an artist interprets? (Inc me) But what is in that look in her face? What did she think about Sheffield? Did she stay? What happened to her? Her family?
This is the only record we have that she was here.
Sheffield City Archives: MD2687/2/)
Found on one of Mitchell and Kenyon’s staged factory gate films 1901, Sheffield. This was John Brown and Co’s or Brown Atlas Works, who went on to be a part of Sheffield’s Forgemaster’s.
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How do stories come to you? These lost and alone Black children of Sheffield have been finding me. So I must hang on to them as they are hanging onto me.
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1799 diary of Thomas Staniforth (Staniforth Road). His name is listed with 79 definite voyages in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade database, most likely more.
