Stroud's Roots in Slavery

In 1807 the British slave trade was abolished by Parliament, however shockingly ( although unsurprisingly) the law still permitted slave ownership, only prohibiting the purchase and sale of slaves. It wasn’t until 1833 – some 26 years later – that Parliament finally abolished slavery itself. To commemorate this moment, a local Stroud philanthropist, Henry Wyatt built what would be known today as the nation’s oldest anti-slavery memorial – the Arch in Paganhill. This is a proud piece of Stroud’s history. However, with the Black Lives Matter movement boldly shining a light on the division and systemic racism that still exists, it is time to look at the legacy slavery left behind in Stroud. 

Regrettably, even after the Slavery Abolition Act immediate freedom was only given to slaves under the age of 6. Older slaves were forced to serve an apprenticeship of between 4 to 6 years. Fortunately, this cruelty did not continue to last, as all British slaves were freed on the 31st of July 1838 at midnight, due to the scheme being unmanageable.

Now let us rewind back to Stroud’s exponential growth in the 17th century. Our cloth industry was thriving - referred to as the ‘capital of the clothing villages’ – an industry notorious for the exploitation of slaves. It is enormously unsettling to consider how slavery has impacted on the town’s growth. 

With economic progress came great sorrow, pain and despair for the men, women and children who were forced to work under the dictatorship of white people to create wealth for (again) white people. Even after the abolition of slaves, the owners were compensated, not the human beings who were deemed as property. These payments only stopped in 2015 - using taxpayers’ money of course. Samuel Baker, of Lypiatt Park was compensated what would be roughly £40 million today. He then became a leading figure in the development of Baker Quays which accommodated rapid growth to Gloucester and surrounding areas, setting the foundations for industries that continued to flourish throughout the Victorian era. This really amplifies the value of slavery for local economic development – for which we still benefit from today. 

It really is crucial, in a society moving forward, that we acknowledge how slavery has contributed to the development of racism. The construction of race has been purposefully created in order to justify the merciless, sadistic treatment of human beings to further economic gain. This division based upon nothing other than geographical location and colour of skin still exists today through structural racism and is continuously perpetuated further by politicians, businesses and news sources. We must consciously make effort to recognise this and take action to undo the legacies of colonialism that still exist today.