RIGBY, THOMAS (c. 1783 - 1841), publican and barber

The man known as Thomas Rigby or 'Reggbey' was born c. 1783 and abducted by slave-hunters to an unknown destination in the West Indies when he was about eight years old. His parentage, name at birth and birthplace are unknown. It is possible that the Rigby surname is linked to Richard Rigby, MP (1722-1788) of Mistley Hall, Essex, who owned several sugar, cocoa and coffee plantations in Antigua, Grenada and Jamaica. In 1817, Thomas Rigby arrived in Kidwelly in the company of the Rev John Norcross.

On 19 January 1819, Thomas Rigby married Mary Richards (1801-1854), a local young woman who had grown up on a farm near Llanelli. Presumably neither one of them could write, leaving their mark instead of a signature on their marriage certificate. Mary's younger sister, Elizabeth Richards (1806-1886), would much later become the mother of the musician Joseph Parry (1841-1903). In the following years, Thomas and Mary ran several public houses in Kidwelly and Llanelli. Occasionally, Thomas also held other occupations, such as 'Gentleman's servant' or barber.

Thomas and Mary had nine children, but not all of them survived into adulthood: George (1819-1822), Mary Ann (1821-1878), another boy named George (1824-1844), Alexander (1826-1833), Thomas junior (1829-1844), Elizabeth (1834-1834), William (1838-1892), Jane (1839-1840) and Caroline (1840-1876). Mary Ann became a cook, working in service in a Swansea doctor's family. William became a cabinet maker and moved to Merthyr Tydfil.

Thomas Rigby died on 8 March 1841 in Llanelli, where he ran the Union Tavern, and was buried two days later in Saint Mary's cemetery, Kidwelly. Announcing his passing, The Cambrian included the briefest of life sketches and stated that Thomas 'was an industrious and harmless man'. Mary continued working as a publican and remarried three years later.

While Thomas Rigby was one of only very few Black people in the district in the first half of the nineteenth century, he was by no means the first who can be traced through historical records. A young Black man called Jack of St Christopher (d. 1738) was baptised at Pembrey in 1723. In 1738, Sabacon Gambia (d. 1784) was baptised at St Peter's, Carmarthen, and in 1742 was granted a license to marry Candace de Gambia (d. 1760) in Kidwelly. Their surname 'Gambia', in addition to notes in the baptismal, marriage and death registers, identified them as Black people.

Author

• Rita Singer

Sources

• Archives Wales; Wales; Carmarthenshire Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Reference: CPR/70/13
• D. Cooke, 'Evidence for Africans in Carmarthenshire during the eighteenth century', The Carmarthen Antiquary, vol. 43 (2007), pp. 65-9
• 'Died', The Cambrian, 20 March 1841, p. 3
• England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
• M. Jarman, 'What Happened to Thomas Rigby "The Black Barber" of Lanelly?', Llanelli Community Heritage, 1 November 2020
• L. John, 'Thomas the Black Barber', Llanelli Community Heritage, 13 July 2014
• 'Richard Rigby MP of Mistley Hall', Legacies of British Slavery database, UCL

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q125792281

Published date: 2024-11-22

Article Copyright: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/