Billy Waters Is Dancing: Or, How a Black Sailor Found Fame in Regency Britain

by Mary L. Shannon

The story of William Waters, Black street performer in Regency London, and how his huge celebrity took on a life of its own

Every child in Regency London knew Billy Waters, the celebrated "King of the Beggars." Likely born into enslavement in 1770s New York, he became a Royal Navy sailor. After losing his leg in a fall from the rigging, the talented and irrepressible Waters became London's most famous street performer. His extravagantly...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300267681
• ISBN13: 9780300267686
• Release Date: July 2024
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 384 Pages