British Crown symbol was branded on enslaved Africans, research finds
They were from the company's director to their "factors" (slave traders) in the Spanish Americas, Radburn explained."The letters were full of very detailed instructions on how to conduct the slave trade," he recalled. One letter from February 1714 was "exceptional because it laid bare so clearly the ways in which the London-based directors were personally involved in the violence that was committed against the enslaved in the Americas". Anyone who contributed financially to the transatlantic slave trade, or to a company enabling the trade, is listed in the database.The register is a culmination of five years of research by Pettigrew and his team.
- ▪They were from the company's director to their "factors" (slave traders) in the Spanish Americas, Radburn explained."The letters were full of very detailed instructions on how to conduct the slave trade," he recalled.
- ▪One letter from February 1714 was "exceptional because it laid bare so clearly the ways in which the London-based directors were personally involved in the violence that was committed against the enslaved in the Americas".
- ▪Anyone who contributed financially to the transatlantic slave trade, or to a company enabling the trade, is listed in the database.The register is a culmination of five years of research by Pettigrew and his team.
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| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20l8vpznqjo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Mon, 14 Sep 2026 21:36:58 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-14T21:56:51.456Z |
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British Crown symbol was branded on enslaved Africans, research findsImage source, Getty ImagesByMalu CursinoPublished18 minutes agoEnslaved African people were branded with an identifying mark that included an emblem of the British Crown, according to new research by a project documenting British involvement in the slave trade.Prof William Pettigrew, who led the Register of British Slave Traders research, described the imprinting as a "dramatic and harrowing" symbol of the monarchy's relationship to slavery.The register, external lists 13,000 individuals and hundreds of institutions known to have invested in Britain's role in slavery between 1563 and 1807, when the trade was abolished across the British Empire.Researchers say it is the most comprehensive examination of a national…
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