Francis Barber in the Birthplace Collection
Published: 15 January 2021
Wednesday 13th January marked 220 years since Samuel Johnson’s surrogate son, Francis Barber, passed away at the Staffordshire Royal Infirmary. Barber was born into slavery in Jamaica before living with Johnson in London. He went on to live an interesting life with varied jobs, including time spent in the Royal Navy. We’ve written a blog to commemorate this anniversary by sharing some objects that relate to Barber from our collection. To find out more, click here.
The blog also includes a fascinating video which offers an overview of Barber’s life both before and after he lived with Johnson. Click here to watch it on YouTube.
