Map of British Empire 1886. Source: Bibliothèque Nationale de France via Wikimedia Commons.
In 2007 Sheffield became the UK’s first ‘City of Sanctuary’ for asylum seekers and refugees but the beginnings of a culture of welcome, support, work, safety, and opportunity began at least two centuries earlier. During the nineteenth century Britain saw great social change, as people moved from the countryside to the towns and cities looking for work in the rapidly growing industries. Travel, both by rail and by sea, became more efficient and accessible. Many people came to Britain from countries in Africa, India, America and the Caribbean seeking refuge from enslavement, to settle, and to study or find work. They joined the existing generations of Black British people living here. Often they were part of a workforce in the navy, army, and industries, subjected to ongoing colonial expansion into many countries in Africa during the 1800s. And, despite the slow speed of ships, people increasingly travelled abroad, while religious groups in the UK, Europe and the US supported missions to spread Christian teaching across the globe. Buried among the over 86,000 interments in Sheffield General Cemetery are people from all over the world who made Sheffield their home. Their lives have helped to make Sheffield the dynamic multicultural city it is today.
