In May, we launched a new bounty here on JAJA, asking our community members to teach us about the subjects they’re most passionate and knowledgeable about. Judging by the amazing array of entries we received, it’s a feature that’s going to be here for the long haul.
The first of our member-submitted articles that we’re proud to share comes from Stella (Stella). It’s an article about the city she lives in: Bristol, in southwest England. While now considered one of the UK’s most progressive cities, Bristol has a dark past. Between 1698 and 1807, over 2,000 ships embarked from the city to Africa to exchange goods for enslaved Africans and take them to the Caribbean. As 2020’s widely reported toppling of the Colston statue showed, the legacy of those dark days is still felt today, especially for Bristol’s communities of African and Caribbean descent. According to the 2021 census, those communities number 18,000 and 7,000 respectively, many of whom moved to the city as part of the Windrush generation.
We’ll pass over to Stella to discuss the complex legacy of Bristol’s slave trade, with a focus on The Society of Merchant Venturers, a historic organisation that is still active today:
“I know this is a heavy subject, but it’s also an important one. The Society of Merchant Venturers first emerged as early as the 13th century, though they were officially founded in 1552. Their history is woven both into the city’s past and its present. Still an active group to this day, they now support schools, erect care homes for the elderly, and pride themselves on being a charitable organisation. In their modern form, they’ve undoubtedly done significant good for the city. However, the society has a marred history with its heavy involvement in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
“In fact, the scale of Bristol’s involvement in the slave trade was facilitated by the tireless 40-year lobbying project of The Society of Merchant Venturers. After years of persistent petitions and letters to parliament, this group of upper-class merchants were granted their request: the 1698 Africa Trade act. This act dissolved the monopoly powers of the Royal African Company in London and allowed Bristol to profit more widely from the trade in enslaved African peoples.
“After the society’s lobbying efforts, one in six slaves transported by British companies from 1698 to 1807 were Bristolian voyages. By the 18th century, the number of African people being forcibly transported by Bristolian slave traders peaked at 11,000. This mass displacement - which has resulted in incalculable psychological damage, physical damage, and in many cases death - of enslaved people was lobbied for by The Society of Merchant Venturers in order for their group of unelected, wealthy businessmen to profit from the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
“Moreover, key Bristolian slave traders were actually members of the society, with a quarter of the membership from the 17th to the 19th century being directly involved with the trade. Edward Colston, whose statue was torn down by protesters during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, became a member of the society in 1682. He had members of the society become his trustees, endeavouring to protect the memory of his legacy.
“The documentation evidencing Colston’s involvement in the trade of enslaved peoples is vast. Colston was a member of the Royal African Company, which displaced 84,500 men, women, and children on voyages across the Atlantic. Colston did not act alone. Infamous Bristol slave trader James LaRoche was not only a member but a master of the society from 1782-83.
“While it is apparent that the society and its members were heavily involved in the slave trade, how did these profits make their way into Bristol’s schools, charitable endeavours, and the very fabric of the city? More than 4,700 students across nine schools receive funding from the society, such as the Merchants’ Academy and Montpelier High School (previously Colston’s Girls’ School). The society also manages the St Monica Trust, which is currently worth more than £300 million ($382m) according to the Merchant Venturers’ website, and works to provide elderly people adequate care in communal retirement and care homes. These are just two examples of the endeavours and charitable investments the society makes. These funds are available, in part, due to the historic wealth and notoriety the society has achieved through its ‘success’ during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
“The society and its beneficiaries have recently been making steps towards taking responsibility for their past. The society’s website includes sections explaining their links to the slave trade, reviewed by University of Bristol academics, and apologises for their involvement. In 2021, Colston’s Girls’ School finally renamed themselves to Montpelier High School after years of promising to do so. However, it is important to remember that the society was hesitant to make such apologies as late as 2006, coming under fire from the Bristol Radical History Group as a result.
“The fact of the matter remains evident yet difficult to face for many; the people of Bristol continue to benefit from the plight of enslaved African peoples. Bristolians need to hold these groups accountable by learning the true histories of the organisations we benefit from and the enslaved people affected by its members. The rewriting of the society’s history as a benevolent group of gentlemen who were simply a product of their time can continue no longer. Instead, a comprehensive understanding of the conscious efforts of the society to pursue voyages that were fatal and forever damaging for so many African people - all for financial gain - must be realised.”
Our thanks go to Stella for her thoughtful and detailed article on a challenging and important topic. Next week, we’ll feature another member’s article on a topic dear to their heart. If you have a topic you’d like to share, keep an eye out for June’s Members’ Corner bounty.
Some text has been amended for brevity. You can find the original wording at the bounty post.
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