This webpage publishes research carried out by Archives, Gallery & Museums to identify sites in Aberdeen city connected to historic chattel slavery.
What is chattel slavery?
Between the 1600s and 1900s, 12.5 million enslaved Africans were brought from Central and West Africa to the Americas to work under a system referred to as chattel slavery.
Every enslaved person was legally classified as a ‘chattel’, a piece of property (rather than a human being) belonging to their owner. They had no rights, were forced to work and they remain enslaved for life as did their children.
Aberdonians were involved in historic chattel slavery. Some owned plantations in the Americas, others traded in goods, built ships or set up companies and made substantiable profits. Some people campaigned to abolish slavery. The research has identified sites in the city associated with individual people, companies, organisations and events in some way connected to historic chattel slavery.
The research
Through our research we have begun to identify:
Access to research
By sharing the research individuals, communities and organisations can make their own responses to Aberdeen’s connections with historic chattel slavery.
If you want to pursue your own research into Aberdeen city’s connections with chattel slavery we recommend starting with:
- Aberdeen City and Shire Archives
- Legacies of British Slavery
- Ancestry UK
- University of Aberdeen Special Collections
- British Newspaper Archive
- Should we apologise for the British Empire?
- The University of Aberdeen and the Legacies of Slavery
We have discussed with representatives from Aberdeen’s African and Caribbean communities how sites associated with historic chattel slavery could be responded to. They suggested pamphlets, educational resources and events. They also highlighted the importance of:
- addressing how the legacy of slavery continues in modern day racism
- including African and Caribbean voices research, exhibitions and activities
- sharing positive stories about people from Africa and the Caribbean in Aberdeen
If you have any questions please contact: AAGMcurators@aberdeencity.gov.uk
Sites
We have grouped some sites in Aberdeen connected to historic chattel slavery together by the area of the city they are located in. This is just one way of presenting the city’s relationship with the legacy of slavery.
Aberdeen Harbour
The harbour is where Aberdeen's connection to the slave trade has its roots. During the 1700s new trade links developed between Scotland and the American Colonies. These presented commercial opportunities and the Harbour's prosperity grew exponentially. Some Aberdonians moved to the West Indies, attracted by the prospect of making fortunes in the plantations. By the middle of the century, vast quantities of sugar, rum, tobacco, and other plantation goods were being brought into Aberdeen, often exchanged for woollen and linen goods produced by Aberdonian companies.
Union Street to Broad Street
Union Street and the adjoining streets contain a number of different venues, street-names and monuments that demonstrate the relationship between the city and the historic slave trade. Some buildings on Union Street were funded by profits made from the slave trade, particularly in connection with wealthy Aberdonians who either owned or had shares in ships travelling to and from the plantations.
At the same time, Union Street was a hub for the anti-slavery movement that began to pick up momentum in the early 1800s. A number of venues hosted talks given by former enslaved people on the harsh reality and suffering of life on the plantations.
Old Aberdeen
Old Aberdeen is best known for its association with the University of Aberdeen, which owns many of the buildings in the area. The University of Aberdeen (formerly divided into two campuses: King's College and Marischal College) has strong ties to slavery, which have been explored in recent research by University of Aberdeen staff and students. You can find out more about the University's links to the transatlantic slave trade on the University of Aberdeen website: Exploring the University's Historic Links to Slavery.
Image: View of Aberdeen by William Mosman, Aberdeen Harbour in the 1750s.
