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

King George III

King George III

Born in St James's Square (not the public garden, one of the houses, obviously). Crowned in 1760, the first monarch since Queen Anne to be truly British. It was during his rule that many of the Ame...

Person, Race Issues, Royalty, Seriously Famous

16 memorials
Bank of England

Bank of England

Londonist have an interesting post about animals at the Bank of England. The Guardian, 16 April 2022, reporting on an exhibition at the Bank of England, informed that the Bank once owned 599 slave...

Group, Commerce, Politics & Administration, Race Issues

1 memorial
African National Congress

African National Congress

London headquarters of the African National Congress, 1978 - 1994 were at 28 Penton Street.

Group, Politics & Administration, Race Issues, Africa

1 memorial
Edward Geoffrey Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby

Edward Geoffrey Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby

Tory politician. Born at Knowsley Park, Lancashire. Overcame his early boisterous jollity and three times became Prime Minister, each time a coalition caretaker between the giants: Peel and Gladsto...

Person, Politics & Administration, Race Issues

6 memorials
Asquith Xavier

Asquith Xavier

Asquith Camile Xavier was born in the West Indies. One of the Windrush generation who migrated to the UK after WW2. He died Chatham, Kent. In 1966 Xavier successfully fought to become the first bl...

Person, Race Issues, Transport, Caribbean Islands

1 memorial

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Edward Owen Greening

Edward Owen Greening

Co-operative movement activist and social reformer. Born at Warrington, Lancashire. He joined the Anti-Slavery Society and was a supporter of the Northern cause in the American civil war. His invol...

Person, Race Issues, Social Welfare

1 memorial
William Holman Hunt

William Holman Hunt

W14, Melbury Road, 18

His middle name and surname are incorrectly hyphenated.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Sir Ambrose Fleming

Sir Ambrose Fleming

W9, Clifton Gardens, 9 + 11

Following the erection of the Pettit plaque we visited in June 2024 to photo that and to take a new photo showing numbers 9 and 11 with t...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
King's Cross Station

King's Cross Station

NW1, Euston Road, King's Cross Station

A few years later, in 1854, Lewis Cubitt also designed the much more traditional Great Northern Hotel, a bit of which you can see on the ...

3 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Laurie Cunningham - N4

Laurie Cunningham - N4

N4, Lancaster Road, 73

Laurie Cunningham, 1956 - 1989, England international footballer lived here. English Heritage

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator