A fascinating talk by Kate Phillips, author of Bought & Sold, on slavery and the connections between Jamaica and Scotland, gave a large audience of Inveraray History Society members and guests an unexpected insight into the achievements of one Zachary Macaulay.
Born into the Inveraray Church of Scotland Manse in 1768, Zachary dedicated his life, until his death in 1838, to the abolition of slavery.
At the age of 16, competent bookkeeper Zachary was encouraged to join many other Scots and work on a Jamaican estate.
Taken over by England from the Spanish in the early 1700s, Jamaica had become the largest slave centre in the Caribbean, with most estates owned and run by the Scots and English.
From West Africa, slaves were transported via Scottish ports, where fish was collected for the journey and the more robust and cheaper Scottish linen taken as slave clothing.
Ships returned to Britain with tobacco, sugar and cotton, collecting European goods, such as iron and silk cloth, for West Africa, again mainly from Scottish ports.
Horrified by the treatment of slaves, Zachary did not want to stay in Jamaica but could not afford his passage home until five years later.
Meanwhile his sister had married Thomas Babington, a wealthy philanthropist and parliamentarian, and friendly with William Wilberforce.
Soon after his return, Zachary and Wilberforce were introduced and worked closely together in the anti-slavery movement over the years, distributing information and obtaining extensive support.
Zachary spent many years as Governor of Sierra Leona in the late 1700s, as part of Britain’s system of returning emancipated slaves back to their homeland.
By 1807, Britain had stopped trading in slaves and was importing sugar from waged labour estates in India.
Gradually the Jamaican estates declined and the Slavery Abolition Act was passed in 1833 providing for the gradual abolition of slavery within the British Empire.
Questions from the audience were ably answered by Kate Phillips, who has travelled extensively around the Caribbean and Africa gathering information and was able to authenticate a guest’s query about one of his ancestors who had worked in Jamaica.
Kate was keen to visit Inveraray, as she feels passionate about the fact that Zachary Macaulay has been commemorated with plaques in London, where he is buried, and a statue in Westminster Abbey, but has no recognition in this part of Argyll for his contribution to the abolition of slavery.
Next month’s history society meeting will be held on Tuesday January 9, 2024, at 7.30pm in Inveraray Church Hall, when Ken MacTaggart will present a talk on Neil Munro My Grandfather, by Finella Wilson.