For decades, the story of Francis Barber in Burntwood was a series of “maybes” and “likelys.” We knew he was here, we knew he was the UK’s first Black schoolmaster, and we knew he was the chosen heir to the great Dr. Samuel Johnson. But history often leaves behind blurred edges.

We have uncovered a “smoking gun” document: a sworn legal examination from October 4, 1799. It isn’t just a record about Francis; it is Francis himself speaking to us across two centuries.

From Jamaica to the Fulfen: A Journey of a Lifetime

In the late 18th century, the “Poor Law” required residents to prove they “belonged” to a parish so the community knew who was responsible for them. On a crisp October day in 1799, Francis stood before a Magistrate to swear his “Settlement” in Burntwood.

His testimony takes us on an incredible journey:

• The Sunday Child: Born in Jamaica (around 1742), he mentions his parents were natives of the island.
• The London Years: He recounts the 34 years he spent in the service of Dr. Samuel Johnson in Bolt Court—a life at the center of the British Enlightenment.
• The Lichfield Chapter: He describes paying £12 a year to Mrs. Gastrell for a house in St. Chad’s (the famous Crook House), proving his status as a man of means and high-society connections.
• The Burntwood Arrival: Finally, he confirms his residency here, in our township.

More Than a Servant: “Francis Barber, Yeoman”

Perhaps the most powerful word in the entire document is the title the Magistrate gave him: Yeoman.

In 1799, this wasn’t a term used for servants. A Yeoman was a man of respectable social standing, a free man who worked his own land or ran a business. In Burntwood, Francis wasn’t “Dr. Johnson’s servant”—he was a professional, a neighbor, and the head of a household.

A Family Portrait in Ink

The document brings the Barber household to life. Francis wasn’t alone at the Fulfen; he was a father fighting to provide a future for his children. He lists them by name: Elizabeth (15), Samuel (13), and Ann (10), living alongside his wife, Elizabeth (Betsy).

When we look at the fields at Coulter Lane, we aren’t just looking at “unallocated Green Belt.” We are looking at the neighborhood where the Barber children played and where their father, the UK’s first Black schoolmaster, walked to work.

The Signature That Stops a Bulldozer

At the bottom of the page sits the ultimate proof: the actual signature of Francis Barber. As developers try to claim that this land has “low heritage harm,” we point to this signature. This document proves that Burntwood was the final, chosen home of a global pioneer. Under the law of 1799, Francis Barber proved he belonged to Burntwood. In 2026, it is our job to prove that his legacy still belongs here, too.

The Transcript: In His Own Words

For the history enthusiasts, here is the full transcription of the document dated 4th October 1799 (actual document below):

County of Stafford: THE Examination of Francis Barber of the Township of Burntwood in the said County Yeoman taken upon Oath before me one of his Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the said County, this fourth day of October 1799 touching his Settlement.

Who saith that he is about the age of Fifty two Years, and that he was born as he hath been informed and verily believes in the Island of Jamaica in the West Indies of which Island his Parents were Natives.

That he hath lived in various services but the last place in which he was hired and served a Year was with Dr. Samuel Johnson in Bolt Court Fleet Street in the Parish of Saint Dunstan in the West in the City of London with whom he resided about thirty four Years and until the Doctors death.

That soon after Dr. Johnson died this Examinant went to live in the Parish of Saint Chad in the City and County of Lichfield where he resided in a House then belonging to Mrs. Gastrell for about seven Years for which he paid the yearly Rent of Twelve Pounds.

That he hath since rented at different times several other Houses but never at any one time Rented Ten Pounds a Year — That he hath now resident with him in Burntwood aforesaid his Wife named Elizabeth and three children Elizabeth aged about fifteen Years, Samuel aged about thirteen Years and Ann aged about ten years.

[Signature] Francis Barber

Subscribed and Sworn the day and Year first above written, before J.G. Norbury.