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

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich

Infantry officer, naval officer and politician. Born Northamptonshire. Patron and good friend to Pepys. Fought on behalf of Cromwell's Commonwealth first in the army and then as a General at Sea.  ...

Person, Armed Forces, Race Issues

1 memorial
Henry Thornton

Henry Thornton

Anti-slavery campaigner. Born Clapham. Successful banker. Good friends with his (indirect) cousin, William Wilberforce, prior to their marriages they shared a house bought by Thornton, Battersea Ri...

Person, Commerce, Philanthropy, Politics & Administration, Race Issues, Religion

1 memorial
Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton (1st Baronet)

Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton (1st Baronet)

MP, brewer, slave abolitionist and social reformer. Born Essex. Entered the Brick Lane brewery Truman, Hanbury & Company in 1808, eventually taking on sole ownership. 1807 married Hannah Gurney...

Person, Commerce, Food & Drink, Race Issues, Social Welfare

3 memorials
George Ryan

George Ryan

Born Mon{t}serrat. Appears to have been 'pressed' into service in April 1803 in Deptford. Served as an Ordinary Seaman on HMS Victory 11 May 1803 - 15 January 1806 and thus was at the Battle of Tra...

Person, Armed Forces, Race Issues, Africa

1 memorial
The Right Reverend Ernest Urban Trevor Huddleston, CR, KCMG.

The Right Reverend Ernest Urban Trevor Huddleston, CR, KCMG.

Bishop and archbishop. Born Ernest Urban Trevor Huddleston in Bedford. Ordained in 1937, he became the Bishop of Masai, Tanzania, then the Bishop of Stepney, London, and eventually the second Archb...

Person, Race Issues, Religion, South Africa

1 memorial