A new report published today (5 November) explores the extent and nature of Nottingham’s two universities’ historic links to African enslavement and the transatlantic economy.
The research, commissioned by the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University, illuminates the contemporary legacies of historic slavery at the two institutions and forms part of a wider picture of the historic connections seen across the UK higher education sector.
The launch of the report marks the start of collaboration between the University of Nottingham, staff, students, and the wider Nottingham community to address the implications of the findings and discuss appropriate reparatory measures.
Professor Katherine Linehan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for People and Culture at the University of Nottingham, said: “In line with our university value of openness, we joined with Nottingham Trent to commission a research project to explore any potential historical links the city’s two universities may have to transatlantic enslavement.
“The publication of this report is the first step in the University of Nottingham acknowledging these historical links and will act as a catalyst to an open dialogue between the university and its Black heritage community with respect to reparative justice.”
The report focuses on the financing of Nottingham’s universities and specifically on donations, both by firms and by individual benefactors. It covers the period from 1875, when the first donation was made for the founding of University College Nottingham (UCN) – the educational institution from which both universities would evolve – through to a donation received by the University of Nottingham in 1960 as part of its campaign for endowment.
Eight benefactors were selected based on the availability of evidence relating to their historic business activities and the origins of their wealth. A range of 18th- and 19th-century textual and statistical archival sources were identified and consulted for each of the eight patrons, including wills, written correspondence, genealogical pedigrees, legal indentures, financial ledgers, registers of enslaved African people, and national importation figures for colonial produce (e.g., cotton and tobacco). The project was supported by a steering group with members drawn from the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, and Nottingham’s African-Caribbean community.
Among the key findings from the research were:
Benefactors of Nottingham’s universities have a variety of historic connections to the transatlantic slave economy, including the ownership of enslaved African people, the manufacture of cash crops cultivated by enslaved Africans, and governorship of British West Indian colonies during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Four of Nottingham’s most prominent industries – textiles, tobacco, banking, and pharmaceuticals – have historical ties to the transatlantic slave economy, with numerous benefactors in each sector providing gifts which benefited Nottingham’s universities.
Between 36% and 44% of total private donations received were made by eight patrons with historic links to the transatlantic slave economy: Jesse Boot and Boots Pharmacy; John Player & Sons; Bentinck & Cavendish-Bentinck family; Barclays, Lloyds, and Midland banks; National Provincial Bank; Thomas Adams Limited; George Brettle & Co and I & R Morley.
43% of the private donations made to UCN’s 1928 endowment campaign derived from the textile, tobacco, and banking sectors.
26% of the private donations made to the University of Nottingham’s 1949–50 endowment campaign were from the textile, banking, and tobacco sectors.
A number of locations are named after benefactors with links to the transatlantic slave economy, including Portland Building, Portland Hill Road, Trent Building, and the Bentinck Room.
The University of Nottingham’s reparative justice work in relation to this report will be aligned to ongoing actions in its Race Equality Charter institutional delivery plan, which is designed to improve the representation, progression, and success of minoritised ethnic staff and students within higher education.
A copy of the full report, Nottingham’s Universities and Historical Slavery, can be viewed at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/edi/documents/nottinghams-universities-and-historical-slavery-report.pdf
A separate report on the links of Nottingham Government School of Design – the founding college of Nottingham Trent University in 1843 – was published on its website in 2023. This can be viewed at: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0032/2248817/Nottingham-Trent-University-and-Links-to-Historical-Slavery.pdf
In summary, this showed that:
During the period under analysis, the Nottingham Government School of Design and its successor institution, the School of Art, were financed by a combination of annual government grants, annual public subscriptions, and student fees.
The pattern of donations appears to represent a contrast with later donations to University College Nottingham, mostly being smaller donations from lace manufacturers.
The research did not reveal any of these donors to have invested directly in slavery. However, it is undeniable that there was an indirect financial benefit, as slavery reduced the labour costs associated with cotton production.
A prominent figure in the Nottingham Anti-Slavery Association, Samuel Fox, donated £10 to the School.
