A new claim to the title of England and Wales’ first Black solicitor has been established, the Gazette can reveal. Frank Kwabena Mensa Bonsu was admitted on 11 January 1955, several months before Manuel Chandri Delgado, who until now was thought to be the first Black solicitor to join the roll.
Mensa Bonsu’s claim was evidenced after his son Albert Mensa Bonsu, who lives in London, contacted the Law Society seeking information about his father, an enquiry passed to the library. Law Society archivist Mari Takayanagi checked the roll, which has not been digitised, and recognised the entry as earlier than Delgado’s admission.
After a visit to the library to view the available record, Albert Mensa Bonsu told the Gazette: ‘Learning that my father appears to have been the first Black solicitor is both profoundly moving and a source of immense pride for our family. His achievement is all the more remarkable when viewed in the context of the barriers that existed at the time.’
He added: ‘Seeing the original records today brought home not only the reality of his accomplishment but also the importance of preserving the profession's history in all its diversity. It is a reminder that the legal profession has been shaped by pioneers whose stories have too often remained untold.’
Frank Mensa Bonsu came to England from Ghana to train and qualify as Ghana was set on its path to independence. He studied at the University of Exeter and was articled to Exeter solicitor and town clerk Cyril James Newman, but little else is known about his time in Devon.
On qualification he secured a job as an in-house assistant solicitor in local government, for a brief period at Exeter City Council before moving to Kensington Borough Council, where his appointment was noted in the Kensington News and West London Times, 11 March 1955. The paper included his photograph and a mention of him in its coverage of Royal Borough’s own ‘Golden Jubilee’ celebrations. He was wearing a yellow Kente ‘the Gold Coast equivalent to our evening dress’, the report noted.
On 30 October 1958, as he had always planned to do, he returned to newly independent Ghana, sailing from Liverpool, to take up the position of deputy town clerk at Kumasi. He later entered private practice.
Albert Mensa Bonsu said: ‘We are still trying to piece together my father's early legal career in Devon, particularly what brought him there and how he came to be articled to the solicitor who trained him. If members of the profession, local historians, or anyone with family records or recollections can shed light on this period of his life, we would be delighted to hear from them. Even a small piece of information could help complete the story of an important but largely forgotten chapter in the history of the legal profession.’
Readers with any information on Frank Mensa Bonsu should contact: eduardo.reyes@lawsociety.org.uk
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