The Slave Trade and the British Empire
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The Slave Trade and the British Empire An Audit of Commemoration in Wales Task and Finish Group Report and Audit 26 November 2020 The Slave Trade and the British Empire An Audit of Commemoration in Wales Report and Audit The Task and Finish Group: Gaynor Legall (Chair) Dr Roiyah Saltus Professor Robert Moore David Anderson Dr Marian Gwyn Naomi Alleyne Professor Olivette Otele Professor Chris Evans Supporting research and drafting was undertaken on behalf of the task and finish group by Dr Peter Wakelin. Front cover image – British Library, Mechanical Curator Collection © Crown copyright 2020 WG41703 Digital ISBN 978-1-80082-506-2 Mae’r ddogfen yma hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg / This document is also available in Welsh Contents 1. Background ............................................................................................................ 2 2. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 3 3. Scope ..................................................................................................................... 3 4. Method ................................................................................................................... 4 5. Audit results ........................................................................................................... 5 6. People who took part in the African slave trade (A)................................................ 6 7. People who owned or directly benefitted from plantations or mines worked by the enslaved (B) ............................................................................................................... 7 8. People who opposed abolition of the slave trade or slavery (C) ............................. 7 9. People accused of crimes against Black people, notably in colonial Africa (D) ...... 8 10. Others who require examination having been highlighted by campaigners (E) .... 8 11. Significant historical figures of Black heritage ...................................................... 9 12. Discussion 1: The meanings of commemorations ................................................ 9 13. Discussion 2: Most commemorated persons ...................................................... 11 14. Discussion 3: Contention and culpability ............................................................ 12 15. Next steps .......................................................................................................... 12 16. Sources .............................................................................................................. 13 Annex 1: Persons of interest .................................................................................... 15 Annex 2: Historically significant people of Black heritage who may be commemorated in Wales or might be commemorated in future ............................... 52 Annex 3: Monuments ............................................................................................... 62 Annex 4: Public buildings and places ....................................................................... 83 Annex 5: Streets ....................................................................................................... 93 1 of 131 The Slave Trade and the British Empire: An Audit of Commemoration in Wales 1. Background In July 2020 the First Minister appointed a Task and Finish Group to audit public monuments, street and building names in Wales associated with the slave trade and the British Empire and also touching on the historical contributions to Welsh life of people of Black heritage. The objective of the audit is to collect and review the evidence, after which the Group will identify issues for a possible second stage. The Task and Finish Group comprised independent members led by Gaynor Legall and supported by a project officer and officials in Cadw. Extract from terms of reference The Task and Finish Group is being established at the request of the First Minister who has asked for an audit of historic monuments and memorials, street and building names across Wales that have an association with aspects of black history. He has also asked that the group overseeing the audit should identify and consider issues arising from the audit that might form the basis for a second stage of the project. The task and finish group will oversee this audit by providing specialist advice in respect of: statues, memorials and other commemorative structures in public spaces in Wales that are associated with black history, including collecting information on their history, ownership and responsible bodies and whether or not they are designated. street and public building names associated with black history. identifying issues raised by these sites, names and buildings and the development of initial ideas for further work. Although many of the entries in the audit are likely to be contentious, it is also recognised that there are a number of public works of art that celebrate the historical contribution of the black community to Welsh life. The audit will be undertaken by a specialist project officer working with support from a small project team, including staff drawn from Cadw and other relevant bodies, and reporting to the task and finish group. The officer will liaise with Local Authorities and other organisations undertaking similar surveys. The primary objective of the audit phase of the project is to collect and review the evidence for aspects of our historic environment associated with black history, and in particular of the role of the British Empire and the slave trade as it applies to Wales. 2 of 131 2. Introduction This audit is concerned with purposeful commemoration in the form of statues, street names and building names. Such commemorations in some cases put people who were responsible for slavery and exploitation literally or metaphorically ‘on a pedestal’, often without any accompanying interpretation. The systematic enslavement of a civilian population is now recognised internationally as a crime against humanity. While slavery has existed in most societies, the Atlantic slave trade of the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries was unique in its scale and long- term consequences. It was followed by exploitation associated with imperialism and left long-term legacies in the destabilisation and impoverishment of communities in Africa and continuing structural inequalities and racism around the world. Wales did not stand apart from this. The slave trade and colonial exploitation were embedded in the nation’s economy and society. Welsh mariners and investors took part in the slave trade, Welsh shipbuilders built vessels for it and the Royal Navy protected it. Welsh trades and industries made cloth, copper and iron for markets that were dependent on slavery in Africa and the West Indies and shopkeepers and consumers in Wales took tobacco, coffee and sugar grown by enslaved people. Money from slavery filtered into the hands of owners, investors and workers across Wales. The whole economy was supported by African industry and trade during the era of the British Empire. While participating in the economies created by slavery and colonialism was unavoidable, some people were more directly culpable than others or responsible for particular abuses. Many reputations have been brought into question by historians, campaigners and local communities. There is a need to assess the culpability or otherwise of individuals who are publicly commemorated and celebrated. Many more people have been complicit in racism and exploitation than can ever be known, but examining the commemoration of those who can be identified is an important step on a journey of truth and reconciliation. Living individuals are in no way implicated in the abuses inflicted by their ancestors in generations past, but all of us can take responsibility for how historical figures are understood and remembered. A further step is to evaluate the potential for commemorations of people of Black heritage. It is a concern that so few such commemorations exist in Wales at present. 3. Scope The forms of commemoration within the scope of the project are public monuments, statues and plaques, public portraits and the naming of public buildings, places and streets. War memorial have been excluded and private commemoration, for example in the forms of graves, church memorials and names of residences is out of scope. Historic houses, estates and industrial sites that do not constitute purposeful commemoration are currently being reviewed in a project led by the National Trust 3 of 131 that will shortly be available to inform further consideration of the broader expression of the history of slavery in the historic environment. The main scope of the audit covers the following categories of persons of interest: A. People who took part in the African slave trade B. People who owned or directly benefitted from plantations or mines worked by the enslaved C. People who opposed abolition of the slave trade or slavery D. People accused of crimes against Black people, notably in colonial Africa E. Others who require examination having been highlighted by campaigners A second area within the scope of the audit has been to undertake some research to identify historically significant people of Black heritage (living people excluded) who may have been commemorated in Wales or might be commemorated in future. The categories are not exclusive and some individuals fall into more than one: for example slave traders who