BRITISH HISTORY

THE STORY of
FREEDOM

LIBERTY!
THE TIMELINE »

Freedom & justice walk hand in hand

Abolishing Slavery
THE FELLOWSHIP

Abolishing Slavery 2
Sublime Allies

Abolishing Slavery 3
Powerful Methods

Abolishing Slavery 4
Creating a new world

Abolishing Slavery 5
At Sea

Abolishing Slavery 6
Ending Slavery at Last

Love of freedom inspires
adventurous and happy Brits.
LOVING FREEDOM

Slavery in Britain was abolished in the 12th century by St Anselm. See Anselm and the Red King HERE

The Articles of War on board a Royal Navy ship, originally established in the 1650s, amended in 1749 (by an act of Parliament) and again in 1757, were specific that "If any flag officer, captain, or commander, or lieutenant belonging to the fleet, shall be convicted before a court martial of behaving in a scandalous, infamous, cruel, oppressive, or fraudulent manner, unbecoming the character of an officer, he shall be dismissed from His Majesty's service."

But a captain's ship was a floating kingdom. Thousands of miles from London, article 33 could be hard to enforce. Yet men who were treated badly would not perform well. The Royal Navy's discipline and the inspiration of taking prizes and defending Britain created crews capable of wresting success from disaster.

A fictional account of what it was like to be at sea in the Royal Navy in the 1740s by Patrick O' Brian. (Wonderful scenes in Ireland, too.)

For UK readers

For US readers

1102 Council of Westminster outlaws slavery in England.

1569 Case of Cartwright the English court explicitly states that slavery is illegal in England.

1700 James Sewall denounces slavery in The Selling of Joseph

1701 Chief Justice Holt of the King's Bench rules slavery is illegal in England and a negro who steps foot in England becomes free

1740s - 1750s James Middleton rises from servant to captain in the Royal Navy

1754 Benjamin Lay, John Woolman and Anthony Benezet persuade Quakers to abolish slavery in Philadelphia

1759 Surgeon James Ramsay and Captain Charles Middleton meet, and Ramsay sees the horrors of a slave ship

1762 - 1780 Ramsay lives on St Kitts and witnesses the misery of slavery firsthand

1762 In Shanley v Hervey the court supports Holt's precedent, and says the negro in England has the right of habeas corpus

1769 Granville Sharp publishes A Representation of the Injustice and Dangerous Tendency of Tolerating Slavery

1772 In Somerset, a case brought by Granville Sharp, Lord Mansfield's ruling appears to confirm that slaves brought to England become free

1780s Charles Middleton reforms the Royal Navy

1781 Charles and Margaret Middleton and Elizabeth Bouverie give James Ramsay the living of the vicarage at Teston

1782-1783 Lord and Lady Middleton urge James Ramsay to publish a book that describes his experience of slavery

1784 James Ramsay publishes an Essay on the Treatment and Conversion of African Slaves in the British Sugar Colonies and creates a sensation. The circle at Teston, including the Middletons and Ramsay, strategize to end slavery

Sharp was also absorbed in advocating parliamentary reform in Britain and an independent legislature in Ireland. He played in the family's musical enterprises, and in defending the rights of American colonists.

Thousands of copies of his pamphlets were published in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. One wonders how he found time to do his job, and in fact he resigned his job in protest at the war in America, writing the government, "I cannot return to my ordnance duty whilst a bloody war is carried on, unjustly as I conceive, against my fellow-subjects."

His brothers rushed to his rescue, writing him that they supported his principles, and hoped he would live with them, for "the happiness of being together." And so they did for the rest of their lives.

Curiously, Hochschild does not really fathom the source of the abolitionists' determination to end the slave trade, but his book is gripping.

For English readers

For US readers

This wonderful book describes Britain's gifts to the world. Adults will refresh their understanding of profound events in British history, and young people will find inspiration. Warning: This book defies aggressive secularism and unthinking multiculturalism. Written by the co-editors of this website, Share the Inheritance is beautifully illustrated with 125 colour images and a timeline. Available at Amazon UK and at Amazon USA.