London: slaving port

The working papers of West India Merchants and Plantation went on display at the Museum in Docklands in east London.

The records, belonging to Thomas Mills, give detailed accounts of slaves who worked on the family's sugar plantations on Caribbean islands. . .

The documents include a plantation journal, dating back to 1776, which describes the duties and the lives of the slaves on the islands of St Kitts and Nevis.

An estimated 24,962 African slaves were carried by 77 British ships which sailed from West India Quay between 1802 and 1807. . .

Some 3,136 slaves did not survive the trans-Atlantic journey. . .

Next year a series of events will mark 200 years of the abolition of slavery by the British.

Posted by David on December 14, 2006 3:22 PM