"The origins of #BlackSailors were various, but the majority were almost certainly run #slaves. In 1772 a landmark ruling in the case of Somerset vs Stuart, stated that #slavery did not exist in English Common Law. This effectively meant that if a #slave could find his or her way to a place where such law held sway, they would become free. In the Caribbean, this meant the deck of a #RoyalNavy ship."

https://www.philipkallan.com/single-post/2018/04/16/black-tars