Why read Legacies of British Slave-Ownership?

Book cover of Legacies of British Slave-Ownership: Colonial Slavery and the Formation of Victorian Britain

Book description

This book re-examines the relationship between Britain and colonial slavery in a crucial period in the birth of modern Britain. Drawing on a comprehensive analysis of British slave-owners and mortgagees who received compensation from the state for the end of slavery, and tracing their trajectories in British life, the volume…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Legacies of British Slave-Ownership as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Jill Liddington

Author

Anne Lister inherited Shibden Hall from her uncle in 1826, joining England’s landed gentry. But what was her historical context? Writing about Anne Lister's life in the 1830s, I grew fascinated by this impressive post-slavery research project led by eminent feminist historian Catherine Hall.

Although Anne herself never owned slaves, people in her circle did. You can search by name and locality on the UCL Legacies website. It opened my eyes to hypocrisy in British society then, and I’m sure it will startle you, too!

From Jill's list on The best books on women’s history that inspired me.