Christian Cole (barrister)

Christian Frederick Cole (1852 – 1885) was a Sierra Leone Creole lawyer and the first black African barrister to practise in the English courts.

[5] Prior to his studies at Oxford he was educated at Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Short of money, Cole paid his way by teaching Responsions, one of the qualifying exams for Oxford degrees, and his classes were reportedly popular.

[5][2] His presence drew a lot of attention, including press cartoons depicting him with racial stereotypes.

[4] According to biographer Michèle Mendelssohn, the American abolitionist Col. Thomas Wentworth Higginson saw Cole at Oxford and described him as “a very black youth from Africa” in a B.A.

[5] Pamela Roberts, founder and director of Black Oxford Untold Stories, brought Christian Cole to the attention the Master of University College, Ivor Crewe, and of the College's governing body with the aim of putting up a plaque to honour Cole's achievements.