North Shields statue unveiled honouring incredible woman who escaped slavery
A striking statue has been unveiled to honour a remarkable woman who fled slavery in the United States and found freedom in the North East.
A striking statue has been unveiled to honour a remarkable woman who fled slavery in the United States and found freedom in the North East.
The memorial to Mary Ann Macham has been installed in North Shields, celebrating her “extraordinary courage” and the compassion of those who welcomed her on Tyneside.
Dozens of people braved a blizzard on Thursday lunchtime to see the bronze figure unveiled, looking over the Fish Quay from the Riverside Embankment Walkway, as part of North Shields’ 800th anniversary celebrations.
A mixed-race woman who was the daughter of a farm owner’s son and a black enslaved woman, Mary Ann was born in the US state of Virginia in 1802.
She was sold at the age of 12 and subjected to regular whippings and other brutal punishment, before bravely fleeing the plantation and stowing away on a ship to make the 60-day journey across the Atlantic.
Smuggled aboard a boat which travelled first to the Netherlands before England, she arrived in the Tyneside fishing town by road on Christmas Day 1831.
Mary Ann was welcomed by the Spence family, prominent Quakers who campaigned for the abolition of slavery, and later married a local ropemaker.
She lived to the age of 91 and is buried with her husband in Preston Cemetery.
Sculptor Keith Barrett said at Thursday’s unveiling that he chose Mary Ann’s story from a range of possible subjects to help honour his hometown’s heritage, having become aware of her through an exhibition at the Old Low Light museum.
The artist said: “Her significance in a historical context and for us today in the compassion it represents and the resilience it represents, the way in which the community welcomed Mary Ann into their heart.. It is something that feels very special.”
His sculpture depicts her as a young woman with a joyous expression as she steps into a new life of freedom after years of suffering.
Keith added: “We have one image of Mary Ann where she is posed, we believe taken in a photography studio in Saville Street around the 1850s – a period of early photography. I wanted to try and be as true to her portrait as possible but also represent her as she might have been when she arrived in North Shields, as she was only 29 then and in the photograph she was an older lady at that point.
“I was particularly keen to get that expression which shows the pain and suffering that she came from but also the joy at finding freedom.”
Renowned equality activist Beverley Prevatt Goldstein said she hoped that immortalising Mary Ann in this statue would encourage more people to learn about her story.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The message for me is about the struggle for freedom and how we respect people who struggle for freedom instead of decrying them.
“We have to celebrate and promote that each one of us can help people find a home and show that compassion. This is a great example for North Shields to feel good about itself and continue the journey of showing compassion and humanity.
“This is a wonderful story and I am totally in awe of her. As a role model, she is fantastic.”
The sculpture, funded through the North East Combined Authority, is part of North Tyneside Council’s regeneration efforts in North Shields and is the latest in a series of public artworks.
Elected Mayor of North Tyneside, Karen Clark, said: “Mary Ann’s story is one of extraordinary courage, and it’s right that we honour her legacy in the heart of the town she came to call home.
“This sculpture is a powerful symbol of resilience and community support, values that are still at the heart of North Tyneside today. I’m proud to unveil this artwork as part of our North Shields 800 celebrations, and I hope it inspires reflection and pride in our shared history.”