Council proved right over Head
IT has been fascinating to read the letters in recent weeks from Darren Waring and Charles Swabey which give us an insight into the history of the controversial Black’s Head. I believe these letters, and indeed the various different stories about the potential origin of the Head, only serve to prove that the district council was right when it voted
(for the second time) in favour of a motion to return it to Ashbourne on the condition that it should be displayed in a glass case, in an appropriate location with the historical context clearly explained.
The reason why I (and the district council as a whole) believe that the Head should never be returned to the gallows sign is not because of its history but because of the nature of the object itself.
The style of the Head is indisputably that of an offensive caricature of a ‘typical’ black person that was widely used during the dark era of slavery to de-humanise black people in an attempt to justify slavery.
It may well be that it was produced before the trans-atlantic slave trade began but that does not change the fact that it is in this style and therefore anybody walking or driving beneath it who does not know the historical context is likely to be shocked to see it and the problem is that there is no way of giving people access to the history while it is displayed on the gallows.
I fully understand the frustration of Darren Waring and others who wish to see the statue returned to the gallows, but they know something of the history while the thousands of visitors to Ashbourne (and indeed many of the residents of the town) do not know the history so will just see the offensive style of the object and reach the conclusion that Ashbourne must potentially be a racist town to have such a thing displayed on a gallows style sign across the main street!
This is therefore a great opportunity for the town to gain some positive publicity by coming up with a good place to display the head with the historical context and stories that go with it.
Rather than people then jumping to the wrong conclusion (i.e. that Ashbourne is a racist town) they will then see that Ashbourne is considerate towards people of different ethnicities while also finding out more about our town’s fantastic history.
In addition, we could take the opportunity to replace the
Head with something that better represents modern Ashbourne while still acknowledging our rich heritage – such as a Shrovetide ball or a carving of the mystical ‘Green Man’ which would fit nicely alongside the branding of the town that the fabulous Ashbourne Town Team are currently marketing so brilliantly to try and make Ashbourne more appealing to visitors and residents.
I was very disappointed not to be able to attend the district council meeting when the Black’s Head was discussed but having watched the recording, it was heart-breaking to hear more than one district councillor make comments in a public meeting that suggested that Ashbourne was a racist town. However, rather than attacking them for their comments, perhaps we should take some time to reflect on why they (and I am sorry to say other people who I have spoken to who have visited the town) get the impression that it is racist town.
No one can truly pretend that Ashbourne is a multi-cultural community and this, combined with the caricature of a black person’s head displayed on a gallows style sign in the main street, will give many visitors to our wonderful town the wrong impression.
This is why we must take this opportunity not to destroy the town’s history but to embrace and promote it and to educate people by displaying the Head appropriately in a place where they can actually find out the truth about it rather than reaching their own conclusions.
Rob Archer Derbyshire Dales District Councillor,
Ashbourne South)