Dr John Charlton
I must admit that I hadn't thought that this topic was 'my thing' but I had no trouble staying awake during the talk as there was much of interest, and it was enthusiastically told.
On the face of it, connections between the north-east and the slavery business in the 18th and 19th centuries seem rather unlikely for several reasons. On geographical grounds alone, sailing from NE ports would add something like 21 days to the 42 days average taken to cross the Atlantic. Also, as everybody knows the region's trade was based on mining and trading in coal, with a strong internal market in London, and an export trade to northern Europe. Colliers exchanged coal for timber in the Baltic ports and Norway, and for iron-ore in Sweden. These trades were already a major huge source of income for the businessmen and landowners of the time. Thirdly, as a colleague told John at the start of his research, what had already been written on the topic would fit easily on a postage stamp. It is also well known that the north-east was a mainstay in the country of the abolitionist movement.
On the face of it, connections between the north-east and the slavery business in the 18th and 19th centuries seem rather unlikely for several reasons. On geographical grounds alone, sailing from NE ports would add something like 21 days to the 42 days average taken to cross the Atlantic. Also, as everybody knows the region's trade was based on mining and trading in coal, with a strong internal market in London, and an export trade to northern Europe. Colliers exchanged coal for timber in the Baltic ports and Norway, and for iron-ore in Sweden. These trades were already a major huge source of income for the businessmen and landowners of the time. Thirdly, as a colleague told John at the start of his research, what had already been written on the topic would fit easily on a postage stamp. It is also well known that the north-east was a mainstay in the country of the abolitionist movement.
The driver for the research was a grant in 2006 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for investigation of archive material held at 4 institutions: Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn, Tyne & Wear Archives, Newcastle's Lit & Phil & Newcastle University's Robinson Library' to research slavery in the NE as part of the 2007 bicentennial of its abolition in 1807. Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow were clearly implicated in the worst ways, and were well documented. Our involvement would be with its abolition. However, by October 2007, Project Officer Sean Creighton and his team of volunteers, including John Charlton, had documented over 3000 instances of a more serious connection between some well known NE families and the business of slavery. The project is outlined here.
We were talked through several local examples of these findings. Starting with the Crowley family who had a notable iron-works enterprise in Swalwell, where the River Derwent meets the Tyne. An inventory of iron goods stored in Ambrose Crowley's Swalwell factory in the early 18th century provided by Suffolk Archives listed a great range of products. As well as the expected mundane agricultural implements and appliances, there were also the more sinister: South Seas hatchets, Virginia hoes, Carolina hoes, Barbados hoes, shackles, chains, 'locks for Negro's necks' and branding irons. Ships from Swalwell carried these goods to London and onward to the Caribean or North America. More normal iron goods were also traded with West Africa where they were exchanged for slaves. Ambrose Crowley II used his considerable influence in London to arrange 'asiento', a right to provide slaves to the Spanish colonies across the Atlantic.
In 1808 Benjamin Sorsbie, Mayor of Newcastle, witnessed a document involving the selling of named slaves (and their future offspring) for £850 from John Howard (the nephew of a Morpeth MP) to Jacob Graham (the uncle of John Graham-Clarke). This was a trade from one Jamaican plantation to another between two wealthy north-east landowners.
Ralph Carr, a Newcastle merchant, was engaged in the Atlantic trade from the Tyne in the 1720s. His ships supplied ports in North America for the domestic market but also Jamaica, Grenada and Barbados, supplying coal for the sugar boilers. They brought back both sugar cane and Jamaican pitch. Produce of Caribean slave plantations: cocoa, coffee and sugar, supplied local coffee houses, places where important people of the day made their business deals.
The Graham-Clarke family were linked by marriage to two old Jamaican
planter families, the Barretts and Parkinsons. By 1820, John Graham-Clarke, businessman and wealthy landowner had an interest in 6 cargo ships and 13 sugar plantations in Jamaica. Sugar was processed in the refineries he owned in Newcastle and Gateshead.
planter families, the Barretts and Parkinsons. By 1820, John Graham-Clarke, businessman and wealthy landowner had an interest in 6 cargo ships and 13 sugar plantations in Jamaica. Sugar was processed in the refineries he owned in Newcastle and Gateshead.
Wallington Clock Tower. Photo by A. Curtis (2009).
One large surprise was the involvement of the Trevelyan family. In 1757, Sir John Trevleyan of Wallington married Louisa Marianne, the daughter the West India merchant Peter Simond, and became involved in plantation ownership on Grenada. When slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1830, the family were paid £35,000 as compensation for the loss of slaves negotiated to ensure their abstention in the parliamentary vote.
In the tangled web of connections between the wealthy families of our region there are many examples of colonial interests. Charles Pinckney, one of the signatories of the American Declaration of Independence,and a friend of Matthew White Ridley, gave help to Benjamin Stead, the son-in-law of John Erasmus Blackett, in his successful attempt to retrieve his late father’s confiscated Carolina estates.
Grey Street & Earl Grey Monument. Photo by A. Curtis (2010).
The north east role in the abolition of slavery has been well documented and time did not allow for much detail. Earl Grey was, of course a prime mover. The debate was acute in our area with major figures in the Unitarnian, Quaker and Methodist movements. Sizeable petitions against the trade were generated including the ladies’ petition notice for the abolition of slavery in West India in May 1833.
For more of this part of the story, we'll need to ask John back.
For more of this part of the story, we'll need to ask John back.
Further reading:
John Charlton's book, 'Hidden Chains: The Slavery Business and North East England' (2008) is shown here.
Tyne & Wear Museum's Remembering Slavery Research Zone
John Charlton's booklet, 'Remembering Slavery'
Sean Creighton's 'Tyneside, the North East and slavery and abolition'
John Charlton's book, 'Hidden Chains: The Slavery Business and North East England' (2008) is shown here.
Tyne & Wear Museum's Remembering Slavery Research Zone
John Charlton's booklet, 'Remembering Slavery'
Sean Creighton's 'Tyneside, the North East and slavery and abolition'
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