John Ystumllyn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Ystumllyn
Portrait of John Ystumllyn, dated to 11 May 1754, showing him as a teenager
Died	1786
Burial place	St Cynhaearn's Church, Ynyscynhaearn, Gwynedd, Wales
Occupation	Gardener

John Ystumllyn (born around 1738, died 1786) was a gardener who lived in Wales in the 1700s. He was also known as Jac Du or Jack Black. He is known as the first black person in North Wales whose life story is well-recorded.

John's early life is not fully known. He may have been taken from West Africa or the Caribbean as a child. He was brought to the Wynn family's Ystumllyn estate in Criccieth, Wales. There, he was given the Welsh name John Ystumllyn. Local people taught him to speak English and Welsh. He also learned about gardening and crafts, showing a natural talent for them. He worked as a gardener on the estate.

John Ystumllyn grew into a strong young man. He fell in love with a local maid named Margaret Gruffydd. They married in 1768 and had seven children, five of whom lived to be adults. Many of their family members still live in the area today. John worked as a land manager for a while. Later, he returned to work for the Wynn family. As a thank you for his hard work, Ellis Wynn gave John a cottage and a large garden. John Ystumllyn passed away in 1786. His wife, Margaret, lived for over 40 more years.

John Ystumllyn was well-liked during his lifetime. He faced very little unfair treatment because of his race. However, local people were often surprised by his appearance, as they had not seen a black person before. After his death, a small monument was placed at his burial site. This was at St Cynhaearn's Church.

Over 100 years later, a Welsh writer named Robert Isaac Jones wrote about John's life. He gathered stories from people who remembered John. This book is the main source of information about John Ystumllyn. Jones said that John was "a very honest man, with no malice." He was "respected by the gentry and the common people alike."

John Ystumllyn's Early Life

Robert Isaac Jones wrote about John Ystumllyn's life. He admitted that John's beginnings were not clear. He shared three different stories about how John came to Wales.

One story came from Jones's own mother. She said that a member of the Wynn family, perhaps Ellis Wynn, caught John in a wood in Africa. He then brought John home to Ystumllyn. They thought John was about eight years old. They took him to church to be christened and named him John Ystumllyn. John's real birth name is not known.

Another story came from John's own family. They said that several black boys arrived in London. Ellis Wynn's sister, who lived in London, sent John as a gift to her brother. This sister was Mary, who married William Hollier. He was involved in the slave trade around the Gold Coast.

The third story came from John himself. He said that white men captured him while he was trying to catch a bird by a stream. They took him to their ship, and his mother cried out in fear. Some historians are unsure about these stories. It is possible John came from a slave family in the West Indies. However, John's own story of being kidnapped is supported by his memories.

When John arrived in Ystumllyn, he could not speak any language the Welsh people knew. It was likely a language from West Africa. Jones wrote that it was hard to teach John at first. Local women helped him learn to speak and read both Welsh and English.

John was then put to work in the garden. He showed a great talent for gardening and crafts. He especially loved flowers. People said that his "very black skin had very green fingers," meaning he was a natural gardener. He worked on the Ystumllyn estate as a gardener. On May 11, 1754, he had his portrait painted. At that time, he was thought to be about sixteen years old.

Love and Family Life

John Ystumllyn grew into a strong and good-looking young man. Many young women in the area were interested in him. A maid named Margaret Gruffydd was asked to bring John food. At first, she was scared of him and ran away. But over time, she became comfortable around him, and they fell in love.

Margaret later moved to another house for work. John continued to visit her. He even ran away from his job at the Ystumllyn estate to be with her. Margaret followed him the next morning. They were married on April 9, 1768, in Dolgellau.

Engraving of Ystumllyn estate by John Ingleby, 1794

After they married, John and Margaret lived in Ynysgain Fawr, near Criccieth. They worked as land managers. They had seven children. The first two died young, but the other five lived to be adults. As of 2019, many of their family members still live in the area.

Later, John worked at another Wynn family estate. Near the end of his life, Ellis Wynn gave John a small cottage and a large, old garden. This was to thank him for his loyal service.

John Ystumllyn died in 1786 from a condition called jaundice. He was buried at St Cynhaearn's Church on July 2, 1786. Margaret lived until 1828, passing away at 81 years old. She was in good health and could sew and knit until a few months before her death. The couple's only son, Richard Jones, lived to be 92. He worked for a local Baron for 58 years.

John Ystumllyn's Character

Robert Isaac Jones shared many stories about John Ystumllyn's character. These stories show him as a man with strong morals. He stood up for himself when people had wrong ideas about him. He was always honest. Jones said that John was "a very honest man, with no malice." He was "respected by the gentry and the common people alike."

John's dark skin drew a lot of attention. People had many "strange ideas" about him. For example, two maids wondered if his blood was red like white people's blood. John quickly replied, "Silly fool, you kill a black hen and a white hen, and you'll see the blood of both is red." This showed that he was smart and firm. Local children were sometimes scared of him because they had never seen a black person before.

Even though people were surprised by his appearance, there is no sign that anyone treated John badly because of his race. One story shows how people saw him. Margaret, John's wife, was at a fair with their young son, Richard. Richard saw his father from a distance and shouted "Dada, Dada!" Margaret was proud that her son recognized his father among so many people. She did not even think about the fact that John was black among white people. This shows that she saw him as her husband, not just by the color of his skin.

John Ystumllyn's Legacy

John Ystumllyn's story has become a bit of a legend in Wales. People remember his courage. He bravely crossed barriers of race and social class in the 1700s. In 2018, for Black History Month in the United Kingdom, John Ystumllyn was named one of 100 Brilliant, Black and Welsh people.

In October 2019, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography added 23 new biographies of black British people. This included John Ystumllyn. He was seen as a great example of the diverse lives of black people in Britain's history. His settled life in rural Wales shows that black people lived all over Britain, not just in big cities.

In 2021, a new type of rose was named in honor of John Ystumllyn. It was the first rose in the UK to be named after a person of color. The John Ystumllyn rose is a beautiful golden yellow. This rose was even mentioned in the House of Commons. A Member of Parliament asked for a discussion about black history stories.

A John Ystumllyn rose was planted in Buckingham Palace’s rose garden in May 2022. Queen Elizabeth II welcomed it, saying it was a "mark of friendship and community." She hoped visitors would think about what the rose means for many years. Also, 5,000 roses were given to community gardens across the country. Twenty of these roses were planted near Criccieth Library, where John Ystumllyn lived.

See also

• Cesar Picton (1755–1836), another black Briton with a similar story, who lived near London.

Images for kids

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  Robert Isaac Jones (1813–1905), who wrote a book about Ystumllyn's life