Ties and Lives Project
The year 2007 marked the bicentenary of the British
parliamentary abolition of the Atlantic slave trade. The innovative
'Ties and Lives Project' was set up to explore the historic records
of Kentish slave owning families and abolitionists, and to foster
an understanding of the impact that slavery and the abolitionist
movement have had on the lives of Kentish people. The project was
run by Kent Libraries and Archives, and funded by the Heritage
Lottery Fund and Creative Partnerships.
Why research the
Atlantic slave trade?
The trade in African
slaves between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries affected
millions of people, spanned 3 continents and helped to create
the world we know today. To quote Trevor Phillips, Head of the
Commission for Equality and Human Rights: "As we struggle to
understand the nature of our nation and its place in the world, we
have to shine a light into every crevice of our past. Slavery
belongs to all of us. Whatever, we think we are, we still have a
shared past."
Sources held in Kent Archives reflect both the
geography of the Atlantic slave trade and its chronology, and offer
some fascinating in-depth studies of enslaved Africans, slave
owners and abolitionists.
Use the following to
gain an overview of the Ties and Lives Project before visiting our
archive centres:
