A new Register of British Slave Traders, published today, aims to highlight the central role of the slave trade in British history. The register was compiled by a team of historians from three UK universities over four years.
The register identifies approximately 13,000 men and women based in Britain who financed the transportation of 3.2 million enslaved African people over nearly two and a half centuries. It is the first compilation of biographical information on all known investors in this trafficking.
The research suggests that slave traders, despite being a small minority of the population, exerted considerable influence on British development during centuries that shaped the British state, its institutions, and economic growth. The register indicates that human trafficking was integrated into state priorities from its early stages, with figures such as Queen Elizabeth and leading courtiers lending support.
The register also details the impact of slave traders on British politics and the constitution, including their role in challenging the Stuart monarchy and later, the monarchy's use of slave-trading monopoly companies to restore its economic standing. It shows how British freedom became a basis for the enslavement of millions of African people by 1712, as lobbyists expanded access to the trade.
Interest in human trafficking broadened across social hierarchies, with its scale increasing by 300%, contributing to Britain becoming the predominant slave-trading nation of the 18th century. The government used public enthusiasm for the slave trade as a basis to refinance the national debt through the South Sea Company.