The governing body of London’s Square Mile is looking to commission research into its historical associations with the transatlantic slave trade.
The City of London Corporation has said the proposed work detailing its connections with the trade in enslaved African people ‘will enable us to understand and own our past’.
The plans have been drawn up ahead of the publication by Lancaster University of its own research into the slave trade, expected in 2026.
The work, entitled The Register of British Slave Traders, will include a database showing any links with individuals and institutions.
Corporation officers have written in a paper that the university’s project will highlight ‘a great many connections’ with the City.
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“It will also highlight how far the financial connections of individuals across the social spectrum benefitted from the trade, and how much of their investments in our key foundational systems and institutions (such as schools) came from financial rewards gained from the trade,” the paper adds.
The Corporation is looking to produce its own piece of research using Lancaster University’s project as a base.
The recommendation, which will go before the Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee next week before the Policy and Resources Committee on December 12 for a final decision, is that £34,400 be allocated to the project.
Professor William Pettigrew of Lancaster University, the principal investigator for and editor of The Register of British Slave Traders, has been lined-up to complete the proposed research.
If approved, work is expected to begin in January with draft conclusions to be presented to the Corporation by the end of July next year.
In the Corporation paper, officers referenced how other institutions with connections to the slave trade, such as the Bank of England and the Church of England, have already produced work exploring their histories.
In explaining the rationale behind the recommendation officers wrote: “Better understanding the connections of the Corporation with the trade in enslaved African people will enable us to understand and own our past. It will enable us to develop our narrative to address our history and to devise a communication plan for our staff, members and the wider public. We can, if we wish, promote the work through various positive promotional activities and ensure that a narrative of transparency and understanding can be woven through our corporate story.”
A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation said: “We have a commitment to equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion, and to understanding our past.
“Elected Members of the Policy and Resources Committee plan to consider a funding application later this month. If approved, the research would then need to be commissioned.”
The Corporation was last year granted planning permission to fix a plaque to a statue of former Lord Mayor and plantation owner William Beckford as part of its ‘retain and explain’ policy.
A plaque was also agreed to be added to a statue of former MP Sir John Cass, a major figure in the Royal African Company, which similarly sits in the Corporation’s Guildhall HQ.
This statue did not require the same permission as Beckford’s however due to it not being in the Grade-I listed Great Hall.
The Corporation had originally planned to remove both statues, though u-turned following the recommendations of further research.
Chair of Policy and Resources Deputy Chris Hayward described the plaques as ‘the next step in our journey in addressing, in an open and honest way, the City of London’s historic involvement in the horrific slave trade’.
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