Dido Elizabeth Belle (1761-1804) was an upper-class mixed-race Brit who it is believed helped shape the views against the slave trade of England's most powerful judge, her great-uncle who raised her.
The daughter of an enslaved African woman and Admiral Sir John Lindsay, Dido grew up in the home of her father's uncle, William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield along with her (white) cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray who was around the same age.
Dido's social position is not entirely known, but it is thought she was raised as her cousin's companion. However, she was not always allowed to dine with the family, and yet would socialize with them over tea and dessert. She received a stipend that was much greater than a domestic servant but less than half the amount her cousin received.
Dido is depicted in a 1779 painting with her cousin that now hangs in Scone Palace in Pert Scotland. The painting inspired the current feature film, Belle (dir. Amma Asante), about Dido's life.
Upon her father's death, Dido received a small outright inheritance and even smaller annuity. Most importantly, however, her freedom was finally documented. (As the daughter of an enslaved mother, Dido would legally be considered enslaved too.)
In 1793, she married a Frenchman and had three sons. She died in 1804. -Heidi Durrow
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Mixed Experience History Month is the annual blog post series created by The New York Times best-selling author Heidi Durrow celebrating the history of the Mixed experience. Established in 2007, Mixed Experience History Month is an effort to highlight the long history of folks and events involved in the Mixed experience. Please look for more profiles of people, places and events of the Mixed experience every weekday of May at Lightskinned-ed Girl, the blog! Thanks for reading. And check out some of the previous year's profiles: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. Copyright 2014.
