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

Battersea Rise House

Battersea Rise House

Built circa 1770. The house and the estate were bought by Henry Thornton in 1792. William Wilberforce, his good friend, lived here until Thornton's marriage. Both men were MPs and important members...

Building, Architecture, Race Issues

1 memorial
Stephen Lushington

Stephen Lushington

Doctor of Civil Law, judge, MP, supporter of the campaigns for the abolition of slavery and of capital punishment.  Born Berkshire.  Died Surrey.

Person, Law, Politics & Administration, Race Issues

1 memorial
George Arthur Roberts

George Arthur Roberts

Soldier and Fireman. Born in Trinidad, he was one of the first black men to join the British Army. In WW1, he earned a reputation for throwing bombs back over enemy lines and was nicknamed the 'Coc...

Person, Armed Forces, Community / Clubs, Emergency Services, Race Issues, Caribbean Islands, France, Turkey

War served, WW2
1 memorial
Albert Woodfox

Albert Woodfox

Albert Woodfox was an American known as one of the Angola Three (Robert King, Herman Wallace and Woodfox) former prisoners who were held at Louisiana State Penitentiary in solitary confinement for ...

Person, Law, Race Issues, Tragedy, USA

1 memorial
Thomas Huxley

Thomas Huxley

Thomas Henry Huxley. Biologist and anthropologist. Born Ealing.  An early adherent to Darwin's theory of evolution, he was a strong supporter while also pointing out what he saw as flaws.  At the R...

Person, Education, Race Issues, Science

2 memorials