FURD
Arthur Wharton's story is set for national exposure this Sunday, 6th July, when FURD's Howard Holmes and Wharton's great-granddaughter Dorothy Rooney appear on BBC1's Antiques Roadshow at 8pm.
Dorothy brought Arthur's bible and some family photos to the Roadshow event at Wentworth Woodhouse near Rotherham last September.
'It was a fantastic experience' , said Dorothy. 'We were interviewed by several Antiques Roadshow staff before eventually meeting valuer Adam Schoon, who was brilliant. I went with Howard from FURD and we took some photos and Arthur's bible, which Adam valued'.
'We thought they might be interested in Arthur because he played professional cricket for nearby Greasbrough CC' said Howard Holmes,'but we were delighted that they quickly understood the importance of Arthur as a Black Victorian sporting icon'.
Antiques Roadshow regularly pulls in over 7 million viewers and FURD are hoping that the programme will jog memories or turn up a long-forgotten photograph, newspaper cutting or piece of football memorabilia that will help fill in some of the missing gaps in Arthur's story. If anyone can add anything to what we know of Arthur's story, please contact FURD at enquiries@furd.org or 0114 2587787.
Learn more about Arthur by visiting our Heritage Lottery Funded website the Arthur Wharton Story at the link below.