Last month Lancashire Quakers formally apologised for their historic involvement in the transatlantic trafficking and enslavement of African people. Research by Ann Morgan found that in the 1700s, members of Lancaster Monthly Meeting were responsible for trafficking and enslaving more than 3600 African people. Others profited from goods produced through forced labour and used this wealth to build businesses, banks and infrastructure in the local area, helping to shape society today.
(More information and resources can be found at www.lancashirequakers.org. See also “The 18th Century Enslaving Industry” by Ann Morgan)
So, what of Brighton Quaker Meeting’s history at this time? Brighton, until the Prince Regent arrived was a small fishing village, to some extent dwarfed by its near neighbour, Shoreham, on the mouth of the River Adur. Shoreham was not a very large port: the tidal movement of shingle banks, from the 14th century on, moved the river mouth steadily eastwards. By the early 19th century, it had shifted about a mile further east. These shifting shingle banks meant larger ships were in danger of running aground, so until the new harbour entrance was completed in 1820, only smaller vessels could enter the port. Ships using the port were therefore mostly coastal and sailing to and from Europe, carrying coal, timber, stone and slate.
A fair amount is known about Brighton Quakers, thanks to a book by Richard Harrison, “Brighton Quakers 1655 to 2005”. John Grover who died in 1752 had been a shepherd and maltster, and his son, also John was the owner of a small ship, sailing to Sweden and Portugal, with likely cargoes being wine, timber and iron. It is not certain from which port he sailed. But, by the mid 1800s Brighton Quakers were mostly farmers and shopkeepers.
In 1727, London Yearly Meeting censured the trading of enslaved people and 34 years later called for Quakers owning enslaved people to be disowned by the Society. 25 years after that, in 1786, Lewes Monthly Meeting (of which Brighton Meeting was then a member) recorded that all members were free of connections to and involvement with enslavement and trafficking of enslaved people. This was recorded again at later dates.
It was also recorded that a petition opposing the enslavement of African people was circulated in Brighton in 1826. A number of local Quakers, including Isaac Bass and John Glazier helped promote this petition, both forwarding and supporting its resolutions. In later years, Caleb Kemp from Brighton Meeting worked with abolitionist William Wilberforce. Anecdotally it would appear that at least one Friend refused to use sugar because of its production by enslaved people, using honey as a sweetener instead.
Whilst it would appear that no Brighton Quakers were involved directly in slavery and the slave trade, presumably not everyone boycotted sugar, and were there Quaker haberdashers selling cotton? It would appear that many Quakers in Brighton promoted abstinence from alcohol from the 1840s, but were any of them pipe smokers? A number of Friends helped set up the Brighton Savings Bank in 1817, but were the Quaker shop keepers and businesses using other banks?
British banks invested heavily in the goods produced by enslaved people. Plantation owners typically paid for the people they enslaved with mortgages taken out from British banks. When American banks were bankrupted, they were often bailed out by British banks. Were Brighton Friends unknowingly supporting something that they vigorously opposed?
Research into the enslavement of African people and its legacies affecting us today is ongoing.
Hilary Armfield
Information and Outreach Team