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Britain's forgotten slave owners: Part one

How researchers in London uncovered the true extent of slave ownership in early 19th century Britain, and the ordinary men and women who owned slaves in its Caribbean colonies.

It wasn't until recently that researchers working in the national archive in London discovered the extent to which ordinary people in Britain had been involved in the slave trade in the 18th and early 19th century. Louise Hidalgo has been talking to Dr Nick Draper, who uncovered volumes of records detailing the thousands of people who claimed compensation when slavery was abolished in Britain in 1834. He and colleagues at University College London set up the Legacies of British Slave-ownership database, documenting this forgotten part of Britain's history.

(Photo: Taken from Josiah Wedgwood's medallion, 'Am I Not a Man and a Brother?''. The inscription became one of the most famous catchphrases of British and American abolitionists. Credit: MPI/Getty Images)

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9 minutes

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  • Mon 15 Feb 2021 08:50GMT
  • Mon 15 Feb 2021 12:50GMT
  • Mon 15 Feb 2021 18:50GMT
  • Mon 15 Feb 2021 23:50GMT
  • Tue 16 Feb 2021 03:50GMT

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