Sculpture planned of escaped slave who found refuge on Tyneside

A bronze statue is being created of an escaped slave who fled America and found refuge on Tyneside.

Mary Ann Macham, who was born in Virginia in the first years of the 19th century, stowed away on a ship in 1830 and ended up in North Shields on Christmas Day, where she was taken in by the Spence family of Quakers who were prominent figures in the campaign to abolish slavery.

Now Mary Ann’s statue is to feature at the top of a planned new walkway down to North Shields Fish Quay from the town centre. It has been commissioned by North Tyneside Council from environmental artist and sculptor Keith Barrett, who works from the Lighthouse Arts Space in Northumberland Street in the town.

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Mr Barrett is portraying a lifelike image of Mary Ann in the style of a ship’s figurehead, reflecting her 60-day voyage of escape to England and drawing on the imagery of the North Shields wooden dollies tradition. The three-metre high work will also show her breaking her chains from shackles on her arms.

“She will be represented as a real person looking out to sea and when people walk up from the Fish Quay the effect against the skyline will be dramatic,” said Keith, 60, who lives in North Shields and studied tor an MA in fine art at the then Newcastle Polytechnic.

In 2019 an exhibition titled Breaking Chains, at the Old Low Light Heritage Centre on on the Fish Quay, told the story of Mary Ann. After escaping, she hid in woodland and then managed to conceal herself on a ship bound for Europe. The vessel docked in Holland and Mary Ann boarded another vessel, arriving in Hull, then made her way to North Shields.

She lodged with Robert Spence and his wife at their home in Howard Street in North Shields for several years before marrying James Blyth, a local rope maker, in 1841. Census returns from 1851-71 show them living in Howard Street. James died in 1877 and was buried at the town’s Preston Cemetery. She died in 1893 aged 91,and was buried alongside her husband. But there was no mention of her at the grave and after the Old Low Light exhibition, a drive began to provide a memorial stone to Mary Ann.

Old Low Light volunteer Nina Brown said: “We were so inspired by her bravery and determination that as our exhibition was drawing to a close, we began fund raising to pay for a memorial stone on her unmarked grave in Preston Cemetery. During our research we realised that while Mary Ann was buried with her husband, there was no wording on his headstone about her.

“We felt that someone who had shown such bravery in escaping a life of servitude and who had become part of the town’s history should have a lasting tribute so we set about fundraising to pay for a memorial stone. We thought this would be a fitting tribute to a courageous woman who became part of 19th century life in North Shields and who might otherwise be forgotten. So we were delighted to hear about the commissioning of this sculpture because such a prominent position on the new walkway means people will be reminded of her story every day.”

Mr Barrett said: “Mary Ann’s story is fascinating, amazing and powerful and has resonances with what is happening today with refugees escaping and fleeing persecution. Living in North Shields it is also important for me to contribute to the cultural fabric of the town. There are also very few sculptural representations of women in England and even less of an ethnicity background.”

Keith has created works across the UK and also in the North East, including gateway sculptures to North Tyneside Rising Sun countryside park, nearby Silverlink Park and wagonway network, and at Heaton Park crafted form an old beech tree which had to be felled for safety reasons. It is expected that the statue will be installed late this year or early in 2024