It is well known in Frodsham that in amongst all the graves in St Laurence churchyard, along with the Smiths and the Joneses and the Browns, lies an African prince.

Prince Waribo (which is spelt 'Warabo' on his grave inscription), was the son of Jaja, who, after being kidnapped by slave traders aged 12, eventually became the King of Opobo, a city-state in southern Nigeria.

Taken into the Opobo Annie Pepple House, the young Jaja was trained up as a trader, amassing a considerable fortune and a reputation as a strong leader as he grew older.

He eventually established the new settlement of Opobo, of which he became king in 1873.

King Jaja's children are listed as Prince Saturday, Prince Albert, Prince Eugene, Princess Nai, Prince Waribo and Prince Frederick Sunday.

Waribo, whose name means 'guardian of the house', would have begun his education with his African American governess, Emma Johnson, who was recruited by King Jaja after emigrating from Kentucky to Liberia.

In 1880, when Waribo was 13, his father sent him to England under the care of palm oil trader, Walter Johnstone, who installed him in Manor House School, which is now the Yuet Ben Chinese restaurant.

In the 1880s, the building was a boarding school run by the Rev. Robert Borwick, his daughter Euphemia and his nieces Agnes and Isabella Melross.

According to Cheshire Archives, Prince Waribo was an "apt pupil" who soon became a popular member of his school and of the local community.

Sadly, on April 21 1882, the Prince suffered an "inflammation of the lungs" following a game of cricket, and later died.

On the day of his funeral, many Frodsham shops closed out of respect to the little boy, and young woman carried flowers and wreaths to his St Laurence's grave.

In 2014, Waribo's grave was visited by another descendant of King Jaja, So Jaja, who was working on a book about his ancestor and the political and cultural traditions of Opobo at the time.

Many thanks to Heather Powling of St Laurence Heritage Group, for her fascinating article on the Prince's background and family history.

Further details can also be found in Discovering Frodsham's Old Schools – an Illustrated History and Brief Lives, both by Arthur R Smith.

The story of Prince Waribo's funeral can be found on this Halton Heritage Partnership presentation.

Finally, Cheshire Archives recently shared an interesting article entitled 'Hidden Histories', which explores the stories of Black people living in Cheshire between the seventeenth century and the 1970s.