[1] Sierra Leonean migration to the UK has a long history, with traders, chiefs, doctors and lawyers sending their children to be educated in Britain in increasing numbers from the mid-19th century.
[3] The city of Freetown was founded in 1792 by Black Nova Scotians who were later joined by Jamaican Maroon freedmen in 1900.
[4] Many British traders in the service of the Royal African Company went to Sierra Leone during the 17th and 18th centuries.
[5] Most Sierra Leonean refugees in the UK live in London, with smaller numbers found in Manchester and other major cities.
[5] The UK Office of National Statistics recorded 23,000 Sierra Leoneans living in England and Wales in 2011.