Welcome to the Richmond Project.
Its aim is to make the life of the Regency-era pugilist Bill Richmond more widely known — while also throwing light on the hidden history of England’s burgeoning Black community in the early years of the 19th century.
Richmond lived at a time of enormous turbulence and change. A time when Luddites were on a campaign to smash up the machines that were robbing people of their jobs, and the nation was involved in a fierce and divisive argument about whether Slavery should be allowed to continue. A time when England was under threat of invasion by France, and its Government feared a violent uprising from its own increasingly agitated working classes. And a time when the nation was in the grip of boxing fever — which meant that Richmond would become, through his exploits in the ring, the first Nationally famous Black person in England.
The Richmond Project was launched with a illustrated talk at London’s National Portrait Gallery, which was interwoven with readings of a new narrative poem — The Ballad of Bill Richmond. The event highlighted Richmond’s importance as a figurehead and role model during his lifetime, and argued that he made a significant contribution to the Slavery debate by challenging, in a variety of ways, the public’s perception of Black people and the prevailing ideas of White supremacy.
Next up for the Richmond Project will be the publication of a book-length narrative poem about Richmond’s life, times and achievements, coinciding with a series of talks and readings in venues around the country .
There will also be some projects of a more theatrical nature, soon to be revealed.
So follow me on Twitter for updates, here or here.
And feel free to get in touch if you’d like to get involved with the project, or if you’d like to book a talk at your venue, or if you just want to say hello.
Adam Marchan 