Download John Blanke wage slip files:
The John Blanke wage slip files contain a single complete version of the page. For some younger users, increasing the size and splitting the print into multiple sections may be useful.
John Blanke’s wage slip. E 36/214, f. 109
This document made in 1508 comes from the records kept by the Treasurer of the Chamber who looked after the royal finances.
Here is a line from the document:
“Item to John Blanke the black Trumpet for his month wages of [November]– 4p per day”
John Blanke was one of the king’s trumpeters at the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII, from 1507 until 1512. He is one of the earliest Black individuals, of African descent, in England that there is a document about and picture of. In the archives another record shows that John Blanke asks for a pay rise in 1512, from 8 pence to the 16 pence that his colleague was paid. He argued he should be promoted as another trumpeter had recently died.
This model can be used alongside our lesson plan Empire Windrush: Early Black Presence.
Questions:
- Who is this document about?
- What does the document tell you about this person?
- Who do you think this person is working for?
Challenge questions:
- What do you think the role of a trumpeter was in the Tudor royal court?
- Why do you think the document references the colour of his skin?
- How does John Blanke’s pay change over time? What does this show about him?
Images of the tactile model:
