Ignatius Sancho was a British slavery abolitionist who lived during the mid-18th century. He was born enslaved and emancipated himself at around the age of twenty. He found some refuge in the Montagu House, where he immersed himself in art and literature. He then left the Montagu House to start his own business as a shopkeeper, where he also wrote and published essays, plays, and books. As an independent male property owner, he became the first known person of African descent to vote in a British general election.
