Sheffield, Slavery, and its Legacies: New report lays bare Sheffield's connection to the slavery trade

Sheffield’s connections to slavery have been laid out in a landmark report which shows the breadth of the city’s historic connection to the crime including the manufacture of tools used at plantations in the Americas.

The city is well-known for its links to the abolitionist movement and was the home of Mary-Ann Rawson, who campaigned against slavery in the 19th century.

But its links to the trade itself have been examined by University of Sheffield academics in Sheffield, Slavery, and its Legacies.

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The report was commissioned in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2002, which sparked Black Lives Matter protests across the world.

Sheffield also has strong links to the abolitionist movementSheffield also has strong links to the abolitionist movement
Sheffield also has strong links to the abolitionist movement

Academics Dr Michael Bennett, Dr Rosie Knight and Dr Andrew Heath from the University’s History department have delved into the city’s archives and worked with community groups to show “deep rooted and long lasting” links between Sheffield and the slave trade.

Among those highlighted include the manufacturing of hoes in Sheffield that were used by plantation workers, sugar made by enslaved workers making its way to the city, and connections between stately homes including Cannon Hall and the slave trade.

The report also points to three confirmed enslavers, Francis Sitwell, Benjamin Spencer and Thomas Staniforth.and their links to the city.

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Spencer named a slave trip the Cannon Hall after his home, and it carried some 89 enslaved African people, 60 per cent of whom died either during the voyage or before the ship left the River Gambia.

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Rosie Knight, lecturer in American History at the University of Sheffield, said: “A lot of the news coverage of the George Floyd protests suggested that Sheffield had a history of abolition and didn’t have connections to the slave trade or slavery.

“And of course, it does have that connection to abolition but we also wanted to explore what other kinds of connections there were and to tell a more nuanced story of Sheffield’s relationship to slavery.

“We used Sheffield City Archives as helpful starting point, and we used a range of sources including things available online. We looked at direct business directories from the late 18th and 19th centuries to see businesses that were advertising and selling plantation tools.

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“Benjamin Spencer financed a slave trading voyage, and it’s one of those examples of how local elites were able to profit from the trade.

“What’s really interesting about Sheffield is how hidden some of the connections are. It’s not always statues like Edward Colston’s in Bristol - it's often nondescript buildings that maybe housed businesses that once sold plantation tools to be used by enslaved people in the Americas."

Researchers worked with community groups including Sheffield and District African and Carribean Community Association (SADACCA) to inform how the research may shape views Sheffield’s heritage.

Rob Cotterell, chair of SADACCA, said: “I’ve always felt like there’s been an undercurrent about racism in Sheffield, but it’s been very difficult pin-pointing because we don’t get the opportunity to discuss the issues.

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“But because the landscape has changed post George Floyd’s murder, it’s forced a different conversation.

“What the researchers have exposed is very interesting and answers a lot of questions about what is part of Sheffield’s fabric. I’m not surprised or shocked. We’re not talking about that long ago when there were slave owners in this city - only in my great-grandparent’s time.

“It’s time it was exposed, and it’s also time that people have an honest and objective idea of where this all sits in the city.”

Plantation hoes made in Sheffield were particularly designed for enslaved women and children, the report uncovers.

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The “intense stooped labour” linked to the usage of hoes for the cultivation of sugarcane led to devastating skeletal injuries for many enslaved people, with the report’s authors describing their manufacture as complicit in “the most physically demanding and destructive tasks.”

The hoes that researchers found for sale made in Sheffield were smaller than those designed for men, and that the steel edging was of poor quality as manufacturers said they were “designed to be used by persons whose time and labour are accounted of no great value.”

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