Key Stage 2 · Upper KS2 (Years 5–6)
Black Victorians: Hidden Change Makers
Meet Black Britons of the Victorian era who shaped music, sport, medicine and campaigning.
Suitable for pupils in Years 5–6 (ages 9–11).
Learning objectives
- ✓Identify Black people who lived in Victorian Britain.
- ✓Describe how they contributed to their communities.
- ✓Explain why their stories were not always told at the time.
Background information
Not everyone who lived in Victorian Britain was written about in the history books at the time. Many talented Black Britons made a difference in music, sport, medicine and politics but were later left out of school lessons.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a composer whose music was performed to huge audiences. Arthur Wharton was one of the first Black professional footballers in Britain. Sarah Forbes Bonetta was a well-known figure in Victorian society. Each of them left a legacy that still matters today.
Historians now use letters, newspapers, photographs and church records to bring their stories back into view.
Discussion questions
- Why might some people’s stories not be written down at the time?
- What sorts of evidence can historians use to find ‘hidden’ stories?
- Whose stories in your local community might still need telling?
Classroom activity ideas
- ◆Museum cards: create a small ‘museum card’ for one Black Victorian, including a picture, dates, and why they matter.
- ◆Evidence sort: give pupils a mixture of sources (letters, photos, newspapers) and ask which help us learn about hidden histories.
- ◆Then-and-now stadium: sketch a Victorian football crowd and compare it with a modern crowd — what has changed and what has stayed the same?
Suggested writing task
Choose one of the Black Victorians you have learned about. Write a short newspaper article that could have been published at the time, celebrating their achievements.
Quiz questions
Which queen gave the Victorian era its name?
- A. Queen Elizabeth I
- B. Queen Anne
- C. Queen Victoria(answer)
- D. Queen Mary
What did Samuel Coleridge-Taylor become famous for?
- A. Football
- B. Composing music(answer)
- C. Painting
- D. Nursing
Arthur Wharton was one of Britain’s first Black…
- A. professional footballers(answer)
- B. prime ministers
- C. airline pilots
- D. poets laureate
Why are historians only telling some of these stories now?
- A. They didn’t exist before
- B. The records were kept secret by the queen
- C. Their achievements were not always written into mainstream history at the time(answer)
- D. Nobody could read Victorian handwriting
Answers are shown here for teachers. Print the pupil version from Activities and Downloads.