British Crown symbol was branded on enslaved Africans, research finds
New research has uncovered evidence that enslaved Africans were branded with the British Crown emblem by the South Sea Company. Historians found archival documents detailing how London-based directors instructed traders to use these brands as a symbol of ownership and control.
Why it matters
This discovery provides harrowing new evidence of the direct involvement of British institutions and the monarchy in the violence of the slave trade.
Image source, Getty Images By Malu Cursino Published 23 minutes ago Enslaved African people were branded with an identifying mark that included an emblem of the British Crown, according to new research by a project documenting British involvement in the slave trade.
Prof William Pettigrew, who led the Register of British Slave Traders research, described the imprinting as a "dramatic and harrowing" symbol of the monarchy's relationship to slavery.
The register , external lists 13,000 individuals and hundreds of institutions known to have invested in Britain's role in slavery between 1563 and 1807, when the trade was abolished across the British Empire.
Researchers say it is the most comprehensive examination of a national community of slave traders ever undertaken.
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