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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Other Subjects

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
Olive Morris

Olive Morris

Activist and community leader. Born in St Catherine, Jamaica, and moved to Britain at the age of nine. She was a founding member of the Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent (OWAAD) in...

Person, Gender Issues, Race Issues, Social Welfare, Caribbean Islands

2 memorials
Samuel Morley

Samuel Morley

Born Well Street Hackney into a Nottingham family of wool/hosiery manufacturers and merchants. His father John, had come to London to set up an outlet for their products. Samuel went into the famil...

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

3 memorials
King James II

King James II

England's last Roman Catholic king, James II of England but James VII of Scotland. Born in St James's Palace and designated Duke of York until he ascended the throne in 1685 on the death of his bro...

Person, Race Issues, Royalty, France

8 memorials