Event    From 25/3/1807  To 1/8/1834

Abolition of slavery

The British abolition of slavery came in two parts: first the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act became law on 25 March 1807, which left slavery itself still permitted until the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which caused all slaves in the British Empire to be emancipated on 1 August 1834. The slaves in India and Ceylon were not freed until Britain took over from the East India Company in 1843.

Compensation was paid, but to the owners, not the slaves. Meticulous records were kept and have been analysed at Legacies of British Slave-ownership.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Abolition of slavery

Commemorated ati

Aboliton of slavery - SE1

{The statue stands at one end of a long composite stone slab inlaid with a de...

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Bronze Woman

This was the first statue of a black woman to be on permanent display anywher...

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Buxton Memorial Fountain

Due to strong shadows it was only on our fourth visit that we managed to take...

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Gilt of Cain - Slave trade

This sculpture, 'Gilt of Cain', was unveiled by Bishop Tutu in commemoration ...

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Holy Trinity Clapham - Clapham Sect

The damage on this plaque is the result of WW2 bombs.

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Show all 11

Other Subjects

Mydiddee

Mydiddee

He was the servant of a Tahitian chief, and it is believed that he was brought to England by Captain Bligh (6 years after the ill-fated Bounty assignment) to act as a cultural ambassador. Already i...

Person, Race Issues, Tragedy, Tahiti

1 memorial
Sir Hans Sloane

Sir Hans Sloane

Physician, benefactor of the British Museum and an early benefactor to the Chelsea Physic Garden. Responsible for the addition of milk to chocolate to produce a palatable drink. Born Killyleagh, Ir...

Person, Benefactor, Medicine, Museums / Libraries, Race Issues, Science, Ireland

7 memorials
1985 Brixton Riot

1985 Brixton Riot

It was sparked off by the shooting of Dorothy Groce by the Metropolitan Police. They were looking for her son Michael in relation to a suspected firearms offence, and believed he was hiding in his ...

Event, Race Issues, Tragedy

1 memorial
George Alexander Gratton

George Alexander Gratton

Born on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent in 1808 to slave parents. Born with vitiligo, also known as piebaldism he was, as a baby, put on show in the capital, Kingstown. Aged 15 months he was ta...

Person, Children, Race Issues, Caribbean Islands

1 memorial
William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme

William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme

Soap magnate and philanthropist, founder of Port Sunlight, near Liverpool. Born 6 Wood Street, Bolton, Lancashire. Known for his patronage of the arts and paternalistic social policies, he was also...

Person, Industry, Philanthropy, Race Issues

1 memorial