Historic England lists villages’ ties to slavery

St Matthew's Church which is commonly known as Normanton Church at Rutland Water is a Grade II listed building - Loop Images Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo 
St Matthew's Church which is commonly known as Normanton Church at Rutland Water is a Grade II listed building - Loop Images Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

Villages have been branded part of the “transatlantic slavery economy” by Historic England in a review of halls, churches and pubs aimed at making heritage appeal to diverse communities.

The public body tasked with preserving buildings and monuments has compiled an audit of sites linked to the slave trade and people who profited from it.

Village halls, farms, schools and parish churches have been included in the review, which links mainstays of rural England to “money made in transatlantic slavery” which “permeated English society for centuries”.

Chapels where historical figures worshipped and were buried have also been audited in research that notes the graves of slave profiteers and their relatives.

The research will guide a strategy launched in November after Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in 2020 aimed at diversifying protected sites and attracting “priority audiences” from minority ethnic and transgender communities.

Protesters throw statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest rally - Ben Birchall/PA
Protesters throw statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest rally - Ben Birchall/PA

Historic England’s report states: “The transatlantic slavery economy was invested in the built environment of the local area in housing, civic society organisations, churches, village halls, farms, shooting lodges, hotels.”

The research cites the patronage of figures such as Francis Drake, Edward Colston and William Gladstone as part of “the money trail” linking a range of historical buildings to the wealth generated from slavery directly or through relatives.

The report notes that less well-known families invested this wealth to improve infrastructure, and villages have been included over funding for church repairs and road works carried in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Nunnington in North Yorkshire has been included because a slaver built a school and houses there, and Brockenhurst, in Hampshire, as it has a pub named after a family connected to the slave trade.

The report, completed last year, notes “many English churches are the burial sites of local families with slavery connections” and sites of internment including rural places of worship and London chapels are included.

A gravestone in Dorset’s Holnest has been reviewed because it commemorates slaver John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge, and St Nicholas’s Church, in Deptford, has “memorials of those involved in Atlantic slavery”.

The report, while more comprehensive than the National Trust review limited to stately homes, concedes that it does not address all “tombs, monuments and memorials of individuals and families made wealthy from associations with the Atlantic slave economy”.

Steps such as delisting buildings or adding contextual signs have not been decided, but the research will steer Historic England’s three-year strategy aiming to add more diverse sites to the protected National Heritage List.

The strategy is intended to make heritage appeal to the newly outlined priority audiences including: “People with Black, Asian or other Minority Ethnic heritage and people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer +.”

Young people and those from poorer economic backgrounds will also form the target demographic for future work aiming to “better represent the diversity of England and our rich heritage”.

Historic England said the audit would: “Identify significant gaps in knowledge that can be targeted through new collaborative research in order to produce a more complete picture of the impact of Atlantic slavery on the built environment in England.

“This new knowledge will over time facilitate Enriching the List entries and enhancements to the National Heritage List for England as well as providing a vehicle for greater engagement with heritage among under-represented audiences.”

Historic England is publicly funded and charged with protecting and scheduling historic sites, including the Grade II-listed statue of Edward Colston which was toppled in Bristol’s harbour at the outset of BLM protests in the UK.

One source within the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport said: "Ministers are increasingly frustrated with public bodies focusing on divisive parts of Britain's history rather than celebrating our shared heritage.

"We should face up to the challenging parts, but this needs to be done in a balanced way rather than constantly putting down our past."

Historic England said their audit of past research into slavery links "will absolutely not be used to delist structures, but it will be used to enhance the National Heritage List for England and tell a fuller story of England's rich and complex history".

A spokeswoman for the body added: “In early 2020, we commissioned an audit which brings together previous research into the tangible traces of the transatlantic slave trade in England’s built environment, mostly carried out over the last thirty years by universities and community groups. The audit has also identified gaps in knowledge and makes suggestions for future research.

“As a separate piece of work in November we published our Inclusion, Diversity and Equality Strategy following two years of development and consultation. It reaffirms our commitment to delivering our work in a way that benefits a broader range of people, places and communities which better represent the diversity of England and our rich heritage.

“Heritage is for everyone and we want our work to ensure that a diverse range of people are able to connect with, participate in and enjoy the historic environment.”