Transatlantic Slave Trade
A number of sources at West Sussex Record Office provide insight into different aspects of the Transatlantic Slave Trade; this not only includes the practice of slavery in the United States, but in the wider history and context of the trade itself and Britain’s own changing role in, and attitudes to, enslavement.
Please be aware that the documents listed below may include original language which is now considered to be discriminatory or offensive.
Documents regarding the Channing estate, South Carolina (1782-1817); WSRO Refs White 2/3/1/7 and White 2/3/2/1
One of the most extraordinary, and shocking, documents held at the Record Office is the framed valuation of the Channing estate in South Carolina, which dates from 1814 and lists the names, occupations and ‘value’ of 93 enslaved people living and working on a rice plantation originally owned by Dr John Channing (c1730-1792). Click on the image opposite to view the document:
During the early 1780s, John Channing spent a period of time in South Carolina overseeing the plantation, leaving his wife and daughter in London. The letters he wrote to them during this time provide interesting additional context into the running of the plantation, as well as insight into the character of John Channing himself. Click on the image opposite to view the letters.
Letter book of Robert Raper of Charleston, Carolina (1759-1770), WSRO Ref. AM 1552/1
Robert Raper was a lawyer based in Charleston, South Carolina, who acted as agent for the plantations of John Colleton of Hanover Square, London. His brother, William, and subsequently his descendants settled in West Sussex. Robert Raper’s letters to John Colleton contain reports on the state of the plantations and deal with matters relating to their day to day management, including requests for supplies from England.
The letter book has been digitised in its entirety and can currently be viewed on the public access computers at West Sussex Record Office. We aim to make it available via this website in the near future.
View the catalogue record here
The Buckle papers
A number of papers relating to the Buckle family, many of whom served in the Royal Navy in the 17th and 18th centuries, provide a valuable source of information on the transatlantic slave trade and the part played by Britain both before and after the Slave Trade Act of 1807. For more information see The Buckle family papers.
One of the most compelling documents on the subject is Captain Matthew Buckle’s account of a voyage to modern-day Ghana, where he was tasked with protecting Britain’s trading and settlement interests in the area from their French rivals – click on the image below to view the document.
Buckle Mss 460: ‘An Account of the Proceedings on a Voyage to the Coast of Africa, by Captain Matthew Buckle, Captain of His Majesty’s ship Assistance‘
The Hack family of Chichester – Add Mss 49716
The Hacks were a Chichester Quaker family who worked as bankers and merchants; several members of the family were involved in the campaign to abolish slavery and there are several notable letters in the family correspondence which discuss the campaign and the issues surrounding it. Read more here.
