News / Bristol cathedral
200 memorials in Bristol Cathedral found to have connections with transatlantic trade of enslaved people
Between 1670 and 1900, some 1000 people were buried or memorialised in Bristol Cathedral and its grounds.
New research has found that around 200 of these people had a close connection with the transatlantic trade of enslaved people.
A new exhibition hopes to begin a series of conversations that could lead to the removal of some of these monuments, with the cathedral already removing a window that was dedicated to Edward Colston.
is needed now More than ever
Bristol Cathedral garden has a number of graves – photo: Martin Booth
The All God’s Children exhibition will take place inside the cathedral and on College Green from August 23 to October 21.
Inside the cathedral, the free exhibition will explore the transatlantic trade of enslaved people through the building’s memorials and grave-markers.
On College Green, there will be portraits taken by photographer Garfield McKenzie of people who still live with the legacy of slavery and experience the reality of racism in their everyday lives.
Born in Barbados in 1730, Thomas Daniel is described on his memorial as “a respectable merchant” – photo: Martin Booth
Everyone will be invited to comment on what they think the cathedral should do next.
For example:
- Should the cathedral have a permanent exhibition explaining its links to the slave trade?
- Should a monument be commissioned that remembers those who were trafficked, suffered or died as a result of the Transatlantic slave trade?
- Should the cathedral remove some or all of its monuments with a connection to the slave trade?
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: Hand-painted globes explore history, legacy and future of transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans
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