The Last Shackle of Empire [15min]

In 1807 Britain published the Slave Trade Act. This did not ban slavery in the Empire. It simply stopped the British transatlantic trade. Figures are not entirely reliable, so a conservative estimate would be that British merchants sent more than 330,000 slaves to the New World. "This Sceptred Isle: Empire" is a narrative history of the British Empire from Ireland in the 12th century to the independence of India in the 20th, told in 90 programmes written by historian Christopher Lee and narrated by actor Juliet Stevenson. (You may listen again online to the five most recent episodes of "Empire".)

Banning slavery had an economic consequence rather than moral implication for plantation owners. The Society for Mitigating and Gradually Abolishing the State of Slavery Throughout the British Dominions recognized their aims had to be pragmatic. The Society's literature declared moderately,"Slaves should be allowed to marry. Slaves will be allowed to own property. A slave's word must be accepted as evidence in court. Bible study will be encouraged. Working on Sundays will end."

As a by no means unusual example of the callousness towards slaves, further study of the so-called Zong Affair is recommended. Briefly, the Liverpool-owned slave ship, Zong, sailed from Africa bound for Jamaica. The skipper, Luke Collingwood, had taken on too many slaves for the size of vessel. Sixty had died during the crossing and Collingwood threw any weak slaves overboard. Slaves were considered cargo so London insurers allowed that, if a slave went over the side alive, then the Liverpool ship-owners could claim. If a slave died on board, then the insurers wouldn't pay because that was bad cargo management. Collingwood and his crew threw 133 ill-looking slaves into the sea. The owners cited lack of water as the need to dump their human cargo. The insurers said that was bad management and challenged the claim in the courts and won.

It was not until the 1833 Abolition of Slavery Act that legislation banned slavery in all British colonies.