Francis Barber
Born into slavery in Jamaica, Francis Barber became Samuel Johnson's trusted companion and heir, visited Brighton and later became Britain's first known Black schoolteacher.
Francis Barber's story does not begin in Britain, but it became part of British history in a remarkable way. Brought to England as a child after being born into slavery in Jamaica, Barber went on to become a student, traveller, family man, teacher and the trusted companion of one of the best-known writers of the 18th century.
His story also reaches into Brighton. Barber travelled here with Samuel Johnson and moved within the social circle of Henry and Hester Thrale, placing a Black man who had experienced slavery within the recorded history of Georgian Brighton.
From Jamaica to England
Francis Barber was born into slavery on a plantation in Jamaica and was originally known as Quashey. As a young boy, he was brought to England by Colonel Richard Bathurst.
Not long after arriving, Barber entered the household of the writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson. In 1754, Bathurst's will formally granted Barber his freedom and left him a small sum of money.
Barber was no longer enslaved, but he was living in a society where race and class placed severe limits on the opportunities available to Black people. His life would take a path that was unusual for the period.
Living and Working with Samuel Johnson
At first, Barber worked as Johnson's servant. Over time, their relationship grew into something much closer.
Johnson took a serious interest in Barber's education. Barber learnt to read and write and Johnson later arranged for him to attend Bishop's Stortford Grammar School, where he studied for several years.
As Barber grew older, his role in Johnson's household changed. He helped with correspondence and other parts of Johnson's daily life, becoming a trusted assistant and companion.
Barber was also part of Johnson's wider social circle. Through him, Barber encountered writers, artists and other leading figures of Georgian society.
Among Johnson's closest friends were Henry and Hester Thrale.
It is here that Brighton enters Barber's story.
Francis Barber in Georgian Brighton
Barber travelled with Johnson to Brighton to visit Henry and Hester Thrale at their house in West Street.
These visits place Barber within Brighton's 18th-century social life. His presence matters because Black people living in or visiting the town during this period can easily disappear from traditional accounts of Brighton's past.
“handsome ‘for a Black a moor’”
Hester Thrale's description of Barber. The wording reflects racial attitudes of the period.The description is uncomfortable to modern readers, but it is useful historical evidence. It shows both Barber's presence within the Thrales' social circle and the attitudes towards race that surrounded him.
His visits were only one part of a much larger life, but they connect Brighton directly with the story of a man whose journey took him from enslavement to education and independence.
Follow Barber's journey
Select a place to follow the main stages of Francis Barber's life.
Jamaica
Barber was born into slavery in Jamaica and was originally known as Quashey. He was brought to England as a child.
War, Return and Loyalty
In 1758, Barber left Johnson's household and joined the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War. He served for around two years before returning.
Johnson was deeply affected by Barber's departure and worked to bring him back. By 1760, Barber had returned and resumed his place in Johnson's household.
He remained closely connected with Johnson for the rest of Johnson's life.
When Johnson died in 1784, he made significant provision for Barber. His will established financial support for him and Barber also received personal possessions connected with Johnson.
The legacy is an important indication of the bond that had developed between the two men over more than three decades.
Life After Johnson
After Johnson's death, Barber settled with his family in Staffordshire.
He had married Elizabeth Ball and together they raised a family. Barber tried his hand at business and later became a schoolteacher near Lichfield, the city where Johnson had grown up.
It is a striking progression. A child born into slavery in Jamaica was brought across the Atlantic, learnt to read and write and eventually became a teacher himself.
Francis Barber died in 1801.
A new plaque for Francis Barber
More than two centuries after his death, Barber's own achievements are receiving greater public recognition.
On 15 September 2026, a City of London blue plaque was unveiled in his honour at Dr Johnson's House, 17 Gough Square.
Barber had lived at Gough Square with Johnson during the 1750s. Dr Johnson's House now describes him as the first known Black schoolteacher in British history.
The location carries particular meaning. Samuel Johnson has long been commemorated at the house. Barber now has a permanent marker there too, recognising his own place in British history rather than remembering him only through the famous man whose household he joined as a child.
Why Francis Barber's Story Matters to Brighton
Francis Barber's life gives us a different view of 18th-century Britain.
He experienced slavery and racial prejudice, but his story cannot be reduced to either. He became educated, travelled, served in the Royal Navy, raised a family and became a teacher.
His relationship with Samuel Johnson gave him opportunities that would have been closed to many Black people at the time, but Barber also built a life and identity of his own.
For Brighton, his visits to the Thrales are particularly valuable. They place a formerly enslaved Black man within the documented history of Georgian Brighton, decades before many of the Black figures whose connections with the town are better known today.
Barber's story sits within a much longer history of Black people coming to Brighton and becoming part of the town's story. It reminds us that Black presence in Brighton did not suddenly begin in the 20th century.
The new plaque at Gough Square helps bring Francis Barber out from Samuel Johnson's shadow. His connection with Brighton allows us to do something similar here: to remember him not simply as Johnson's servant, but as a Black Georgian whose life crossed Jamaica, London, Brighton and Staffordshire, and whose journey eventually took him from enslavement to the classroom.
