John London (victualler)

In 2024, it was discovered via documents relating to the Westminster by-election of November 1749 that London was the earliest recorded black person to vote in Great Britain.

[2][3] London was one of "no more than 14% of people who were entitled to vote at the time", due to being male and a rate payer.

[3] In the November 1749, he and his eligible neighbours from the Hungerford Market were among the 9,465 men who voted in by-election for the Westminster constituency; he was recorded as "John Loudon [sic]" in that year's Poll Book voting for Viscount Trentham.

[1] London had only recently moved into his property on One Tun Alley, but the parish's "overseer of the poor", Mr Rybot, was able to testify that he had paid his rates in September 1749, thereby qualifying for the by-election.

[1][2] He was then missing from records until spring 1770 when, as a pauper, he was admitted to the St Martin in the Fields workhouse.