Abolition

Ian Bulman's family has farmed just outside Carlisle for generations.

But he recently discovered that one of his ancestors was a slave.

Thomas Kent was brought to this country by a ship's captain in the late 18th Century. His story went on record when he fell on hard times in later life and his appearance in court was reported in a local newspaper.

When he came to Cumbria he was employed by a family in the west of the county. He married and had children and was eventually buried in a churchyard in North Cumbria. More on this later.

Another interesting fact is that his son John Kent was to become Cumbria's and it's claimed, England's first black policeman.

Ian was recently contacted by the makers of an Open University programme about the region's links to the slave trade.

A local archivist had traced forward from Thomas via John's sister Sarah and found that Ian was descended from Thomas and Sarah and was still living in Cumbria.

Ian was surprised and very interested by this revelation. There's no sign now of his black ancestry but he is horrified at the thought of what Thomas must have gone through as a slave.

The Kent family tree

When I went to see him on his farm, Ian showed me his family tree with Thomas and his wife at the top. Interestingly at one point Thomas lived on Annetwell Street in Carlisle which is where BBC Cumbria is now based.

Thomas is buried in a churchyard only a few miles from Ian's house.

There's no gravestone to mark the place, Thomas would have had a pauper's burial. But Ian says if they could ever find the exact spot, they would pay for a headstone. After all, he says, he is family.

*The TV footage of Ian finding out about his ancestor is being used by kind permission of the Open University.