Belinda Sutton, also known as Belinda Royall, was a Ghanaian-born woman who was enslaved by the Royall family at the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford, Massachusetts, USA. Additional details of Sutton's family life are under ongoing research. Baptism records for a son Joseph, and a daughter Prine, appear in church records. Belinda was abandoned by, Isaac Royall Jr., when he fled to Nova Scotia at the beginning of the American Revolution. In Royall's will, a number of enslaved people are listed, but Belinda was unique in his wishes:"In his will he gave his slave Belinda the option of freedom, and he further 'provided that she get security that she shall not be a charge in the town of Medford.' If she did not elect freedom, he bequeathed her to his daughter Mary Erving. Other slaves were bequeathed and some were sold, but Belinda was emancipated."
Isaac Royall House, Medford, Massachusetts - Slave quarters
Belinda's petition reprinted in American Museum magazine, 1787
Belinda Sutton's petition reprinted in 1787, indicating her authorship
Royall House and Slave Quarters
The Isaac Royall House and Slave Quarters is a historic house located in Medford, Massachusetts, near Tufts University. The historic estate was founded by Bay Colony native Isaac Royall and is recognized as giving a face and life to the history and existence of slave quarters and slavery in Massachusetts. It is a National Historic Landmark, operated as a non-profit museum, and open for public visits between June 1 and the last weekend in October.
East (front) facade, built by Isaac Royall Sr. over the original farmhouse
West (back) façade, built by Isaac Royall Jr. on the new portion of the house.
Royall House Slave Quarters entry door
John Singleton Copley portrait of Isaac Royall Jr. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)