Enslavement and Plantation Life
#SUBHEADING#The Middle Passage#SUBHEADINGEND# Once enslaved Africans were captured and traded to European slave traders, they would be branded with their new owners mark. Auguste Biard depicts this process in his painting, 'Slave Market on the Coast of West Africa'. The painting also shows the Captain of a slave ship bargaining with African Traders, slaves being inspected and transactions being recorded in a log book. The painting was given to Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton to commemorate the Abolition of Slavery in 1833. Buxton took over Wilberforce's role as leader of the British anti-slavery movement in 1824. A relative of Buxton donated the painting to the Museum. The journey from West Africa to the Plantations was known as the 'Middle Passage'. This was the second leg of the journey that formed the transatlantic trade triangle. During the Atlantic crossing, enslaved Africans were kept in horrific, overcrowded conditions, with 15% of Africans on each voyage dying from dysentery, malaria, smallpox or malnutrition. These appalling conditions led to the deaths of 33 slaves on board the 'Katherine' in 1728. A list of those who died and the reasons for their deaths is stored in Wilberforce House. #SUBHEADING#Discipline and Punishment#SUBHEADINGEND# The majority of enslaved people taken from Africa to the Caribbean worked on sugar plantations owned by Europeans. New arrivals underwent a period of adjustment known as 'seasoning' or 'breaking in'. An important part of the slave experience was being introduced to the daily routine and discipline on the plantation. Enslaved Africans were subject to harsh discipline and severe punishments. Being whipped was the most common punishment endured, the severity of which depended on the offence, including the number of strokes and the type of whip used. Punishments of slaves, as well as other information including production and slave statistics were kept in Plantation logs and journals. The museum collection holds 277 plantation journals for the Plantations; Good Intent, Good Success, Friendship, Schepmoed and Bacolet. It also has correspondence and punishment records for plantations owned by William King.
The Brookes Ship Model and Poster
This narrative tells the story of the Brookes ship model and poster which were made to publicise abolitionists' campaign for the abolition of slavery.They were based on an actual slave ship called the 'Brookes'
William Wilberforce - the man (part 2)
Read about the impact of Wilberforce's university days and his career in politics.
William Wilberforce - the man (part 1)
Discover more about at the Wilberforce Family and William Wilberforce's early years.
Slavery Collections at Wilberforce House
Wilberforce House has many objects relating to slavery and the campaign for its abolition. The collection strengths lie in plantation records and anti-slavery material. Read on to discover more about the slavery collections at Wilberforce House.
Slavery Collections
Hull Museums has many objects relating to slavery and the campaign for its abolition; including paper documents, plantation and slavery records, wedgwood medallions and anti-slavery ceramics. The museums also have collections representing the diversity of richness of West African Cultures prior to Western Slavery. This section explores the interesting and varied Slavery collections, what they can tell us about the history of Slavery and insights they can give into the horrors of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade.
The Campaign Against Slavery
Read about the parliamentary campaign to abolish slavery, womens role in the anti-slavery fight and how growing opposition among the public led to a boycott of sugar produced on plantations.
The Wilberforce Monument
William Wilberforce, MP for Yorkshire and passionate campaigner against the slave trade, was commemorated after is death with a monument paid for by public donation. But who designed it? How tall is it? And how much did it cost to buy? Read on and find out.
Moving the Wilberforce Monument in 1935
William Wilberforce's monument had become a motoring hazard by the 1930s and it needed to be moved to a new, more convenient location. Find out who moved the monument and what secrets are buried beneath...
Wilberforce Bible - Uncovering the Family Secrets
Read about the bibles that were once owned by William Wilberforce (1759-1833) and are now on display in Wilberforce House Museum.
The Freedom Centrepiece 2007
In 2006 Hull Museums commissioned silversmith Jocelyn Burton to produce a major silver centrepiece. This was part of the commemorations for the bi-centenary of the abolition of the slave trade in 2007. This will be a lasting testament to freedom and will hopefully be around for the tercentenary. The centrepiece was funded by the Alderman Rupert Alec-Smith Fund and the Wilberforce 2007 Programme.
Contemporary Collections
Wilberforce House Museum has a small collection of objects in its contemporary slavery displays. These objects highlight the continual legacy of slavery and also explore the issue of human rights. They provide the visitor with a view of modern Africa today
