He is one of Britain’s best-known historical figures, famed for his exploration of the New World, controversial romantic liaisons and the chivalrous act of placing his jacket over a puddle so that Queen Elizabeth I’s feet would not get wet.

Much less known is Sir Walter Raleigh’s kinship with a young black boy from Guyana, whom he brought back with him from the Americas and who became ensconced in the explorer’s household, according to newly discovered records.

Centuries after his death, an intriguing new chapter in his life has emerged following the chance discovery of a baptism register in the London Metropolitan Archives.

The boy may have been one of the earliest – and certainly one of the youngest – “natives” brought to Britain to be marvelled at in the royal court.