Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
If you would like to write a summary for this topic, email phil [at] gyford [dot] com
When Pepys refers to someone as being “black” he means, according to L&M’s glossary, “brunette, dark in hair or complexion.”
This usage persisted for a long time. Jane Austen uses the same expression in her letters.
Sir Wm: Batten used the word Negroe in his Will in 1667 which kind of enforces the Idea that Black was of Hair and complexion more of the Meditteranean hue, as contrasted with the Anglo-Saxon Coloring.
another instance of name descrp:from diary :mar 28 61
“…. At last we made Mingo, Sir W. Batten
Phil et al;
Black person. I used to think that “black”, at these times meant as you say, ie. dark haired. Now I’m not at all sure that this is in any way definitive in spite of L&M. Check out Shakespeare’s dark Lady etc. below and tell me if it doesn’t shake the theory a little.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/4081/DarkLady.html
It means both
Used in referring to a person who is
As late as the 1920s David Bertram Ogilvy Freeman-Mitford (Jessica and Nancy Mitford’s father) described a cousin’s marriage to an Argentinian of entirely Spanish heritage with the phrase, “Robin’s married a black.”
From dictionary excerts of Samuel Johnson. [Blac Saxon ]
1 Color of the night.
2 dark
3 cloudy of countenance; sullen
4 Horrible;wicked ; atrocious
5 Dismal; mournful
6 Black and Blue color of bruise; stripe
That be all;