Anaya Nolan
Interracial marriage has been a topic of contention for centuries, with various countries enacting laws prohibiting such unions. In the United Kingdom, while interracial couples have faced discrimination and isolation, there has never been a legal prohibition on interracial marriage. This stands in contrast to countries like the United States, Nazi Germany, and apartheid-era South Africa, which had laws criminalizing these marriages. The first anti-miscegenation law was passed in Maryland, US, in 1691. By the late 1800s, 38 US states had similar laws, and it was only in 1967 that the US Supreme Court ruled these laws unconstitutional, with Alabama being the last state to officially repeal its anti-miscegenation law in 2000. While Britain lacked legal prohibitions, interracial marriages were not always widely accepted socially, as seen in the controversy surrounding Seretse Khama, a Botswanan prince, and Ruth Williams, an English bank clerk, in 1947.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Were interracial marriages ever lawfully forbidden in the UK? | No |
| Were interracial marriages ever forbidden in other countries? | Yes, including the United States, Nazi Germany, apartheid-era South Africa, and French Louisiana. |
| Were interracial couples in the UK discriminated against? | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
Interracial weddings in the UK have taken place since the 15th century
Interracial marriage was never illegal in the UK. While there is no specific legislation outlawing interracial marriage in the UK, interracial couples throughout British history have faced discrimination and isolation. Interracial weddings have taken place in the UK since the 15th century.
In Elizabethan England, for instance, interracial marriages were not uncommon. People of colour in the Early Modern period were better off than one might assume. They sometimes held decent positions in society, owned property, and faced fairly equal protection under the courts of law. Charles Gildon, a writer from the mid-1600s, claimed that “there’s nothing more common than matches of this kind, where the whites and the blacks cohabit”.
Shakespeare's play 'Othello' centres on an interracial relationship between a black man and a white woman. While the play explores the tensions and prejudices surrounding such relationships, it also reflects a degree of acceptance of interracial marriages in Elizabethan society. Shakespeare himself may have been in an interracial relationship with a woman of African or Arabic descent, known as the "Dark Lady".
Moving into the 18th century, we find another example of an interracial marriage between Colonel Edward 'Ned' Despard, an Irish officer in the British Navy, and his wife, Catherine. Their marriage was considered "unprecedented", and while Catherine was referred to as Edward's "black housekeeper" by his family, their union was accepted within the army and by the authorities upon their return to England.
During the Victorian era, interracial marriage was not as taboo as one might expect, especially in portside communities. Lady Anne Coventry, the daughter of the 9th Earl of Coventry, is a notable example of aristocracy participating in interracial marriage during this period.
While there were no laws prohibiting interracial marriage in the UK, it is important to note that societal attitudes and acceptance varied throughout history. Interracial couples often faced prejudice, racism, and discrimination, and their relationships were sometimes viewed negatively by their families and communities.
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There were no laws in Britain prohibiting interracial marriage
Interracial marriage in Britain has never been prohibited by law. While interracial couples in British history have faced discrimination and isolation, there is also a history of couples who have stood up to their detractors and altered societal understanding of, and conversations about, race.
In the absence of laws prohibiting interracial marriage in Britain, it is unclear how such relationships could have been prevented. People fall in love and get married despite racial boundaries. Interracial marriages have taken place in the UK since the 15th century, and one source notes that such marriages were fairly common in areas with large immigrant groups.
In contrast, interracial marriage was outlawed in the United States, Nazi Germany, and apartheid-era South Africa. The first anti-miscegenation law was passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 1691, criminalizing interracial marriage. By the late 1800s, 38 US states had anti-miscegenation laws, and in 1960, interracial marriage was forbidden by law in 31 US states. Interracial marriage only became legal across the US in 1967, following a Supreme Court decision that deemed anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional.
In Britain, there were no such laws, and the country appeared relatively progressive to African Americans struggling for recognition of their constitutional rights in the US. Britain also seemed more open to public discussion of interracial relationships, including the production of films that focused on this controversial subject. This apparently more inclusive attitude towards gender and race relations provided an inspirational model for African Americans in their fight for equality.
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Interracial couples in Britain faced serious discrimination
Interracial marriage in the United Kingdom has never been prohibited by law. However, this does not mean that interracial couples have not faced serious discrimination. Britain has a long history of interracial relationships, with records of them dating back to the 15th century.
One notable example of a historical interracial couple is Colonel Edward 'Ned' Despard and his wife, Catherine, from the Regency period. Edward was an Irish officer in the British Navy and an abolitionist. In 1785, he married Catherine, whose last name is unknown. Their story was even adapted into the popular BBC show Poldark. Despite their union, interracial couples continued to face discrimination and isolation in British society.
During the post-World War II period, Seretse Khama, a Botswanan prince studying law in London, met and fell in love with Ruth Williams, an English bank clerk. Their relationship caused significant controversy in England and even sparked an international incident with Bechuanaland (now Botswana). This incident highlights the ongoing discrimination faced by interracial couples in Britain during this time.
In the 1950s and 1960s, interracial relationships continued to be stigmatized in Britain. While there were no laws prohibiting interracial marriage, societal attitudes were often negative. People generally looked down on white individuals who married partners of colour, and these couples often faced shame and isolation.
Despite the lack of legal prohibitions, interracial couples in Britain have historically faced serious discrimination and have had to navigate societal prejudices and isolation. It is important to recognize this history and the resilience of these couples in standing up to their detractors, fostering greater acceptance, and altering our understanding of race relations.
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Interracial marriages were outlawed in Nazi Germany
Interracial marriages were never explicitly forbidden in the UK by law. However, in the 1960s, interracial marriages were uncommon, and people generally looked down on them. Nevertheless, some interracial couples did exist, and their marriages were legally recognised.
In Nazi Germany, however, interracial marriages were forbidden by law. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were passed, which included the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour. This law forbade sexual relations and marriages between Germans classified as 'Aryans' and those classified as Jews, "Gypsies, Negroes or their bastard offspring". Extramarital intercourse was considered "race defilement" and was punishable by imprisonment, followed by deportation to a concentration camp. This law was not just targeted at Jews but also at Germans of African and other non-European descent.
Before the Nuremberg Laws, some Black people and German "Aryans" were romantically involved and even married. These relationships were dangerous, and when interracial couples applied for marriage, their applications were consistently denied for racial reasons. This often resulted in harassment, sterilisation, and the breaking up of partnerships. Even those whose marriages pre-dated the Nuremberg Laws were harassed and pressured to divorce. Interracial couples and their children were also humiliated and assaulted in public.
The Nazis believed that interracial relationships represented a threat to the health, strength, and purity of the Aryan race, and so they also forcibly sterilised hundreds of thousands of people, including Black people, to prevent "race-mixing".
The May 1912 Reichstag debate on interracial marriage also reveals the racial-political ideas of German political parties at the time and their precursors to the more aggressive racism of the interwar period. During this debate, Wilhelm Solf, the former governor of German Samoa, argued against interracial marriage, stating: "We are Germans, we are whites, and we want to stay Germans." He appealed to the deputies, asking if they wanted "black daughters-in-law" and "woolly-haired grandchildren."
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Interracial marriage was banned in the US until 1967
Interracial marriage was never banned in the UK. In fact, interracial marriage was fairly common in areas with large immigrant groups. However, it was outlawed in the United States until 1967.
The history of interracial marriage bans in the US dates back to 1664 when Maryland became the first British colony to restrict "freeborn English women" from "intermarry [ing] with Negro slaves". The first anti-miscegenation law was passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 1691, criminalizing interracial marriage. By the late 1800s, 38 US states had laws banning interracial marriage.
The fight against interracial marriage continued into the 20th century, with amendments introduced in 1912 and 1928. In 1960, interracial marriage was forbidden by law in 31 US states. It was only in 1967 that the US Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia that such laws are unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, thereby legalizing interracial marriage nationwide.
Before the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the majority of white evangelical Christians in the Southern United States saw racial segregation in marriage as divinely instituted, and held that legal recognition of interracial couples would violate biblical teaching. Even after the 1967 ruling, interracial couples travelling in the South, where interracial marriages were illegal, faced a considerable risk of violence.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Britain never had any laws that made it a crime for two people of different races to marry. However, interracial couples throughout history have faced discrimination and isolation.
While there were no laws prohibiting interracial marriage, people did generally look down on such marriages. In the 1950s, an English woman and a Chinese man were deported, despite their marriage.
Yes, interracial marriage was outlawed in Nazi Germany, apartheid-era South Africa, and several U.S. states. By 1924, 29 U.S. states banned interracial marriage.
In the U.S., anti-miscegenation laws were ruled unconstitutional in 1967. However, Alabama was the last state to remove anti-miscegenation language from its constitution in 2000.
