Author: Joe Baker

Georgian, 18th Century history, Legal history, Minority Ethnic History, Slavery

Somerset v Stewart, 1772: an End to Slavery in Britain? 

The campaigning activities of abolitionist MPs such as William Wilberforce and Thomas Fowell Buxton are well-known, but one former MP, who had become a member of the House of Lords, was involved in this question in a rather different way. Joe Baker – Public Engagement Assistant for the History of Parliament – looks at the landmark decision made by Lord Mansfield in the case of … Continue reading Somerset v Stewart, 1772: an End to Slavery in Britain? 

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Slavery, 19th Century history, Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, Economic history, Georgian, Victorian

1833 Slavery Abolition Act: The Long Road to Emancipation in the British West Indies

Today marks the anniversary of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act receiving royal assent. But why was this bill necessary 26 years after the passing of the 1807 Slave Trade Act, and why was full emancipation not reached until 1838? Our Public Engagement Assistant Joe Baker looks further into the specifics of the Act… In 1807, Parliament passed An Act for the Abolition of the Slave … Continue reading 1833 Slavery Abolition Act: The Long Road to Emancipation in the British West Indies

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