Newby Hall has uncovered its connections to the slave trade, leading its current owners to say that we must “recognise, take serious note and learn” from the past.
It is the first time that the Compton family, who are current residents, have spoken publicly about Newby Hall’s links to slavery and follows in the footsteps of many stately homes in England.
The family made the announcement after The Stray Ferret pointed out that the Weddell family, of which the Compton family are direct descendants, invested in the South Sea Company.
Richard Compton has updated the history page on Newby Hall’s website to detail its connections to the slave trade and highlight its work with the BAME community.
“It is known that the South Sea Company had significant financial involvement with the slave trade. It is not known to what extent this contributed to Thomas Weddell’s wealth but we do know that what was acceptable in the 1700s is abhorrent now.
“Newby is a modern and inclusive business and we have supported the BAME community. There is lots more we can do and post-Covid we look forward to renewing our links. The past is something we cannot change. We need to recognise it, take serious note and learn.”
“BLM” has been left near the war memorial in Harrogate.
The Newby Hall revelation comes in the wake of George Floyd’s killing and a wave of protests around the world. The Black Lives Matter movement believes systemic racism dates back to the slave trade.
Read more on this story
- Meet the new Black Lives Matter group in Harrogate
- See what happened at the Black Lives Matter protest
What is the South Sea Company?
South Sea Company was a public-private corporation that supplied slaves to the islands in the “South Seas” and South America.
Some historians estimate that the company set out to transport just over 34,000 slaves but around 4,000 slaves died on the voyage.
Others found that investors ended up with substantial returns if they got out before the “South Sea Bubble” burst in 1720. Thomas Weddell was one of those investors.
Thomas Weddell was the great-uncle of William Weddell and left him with a legacy that Thomas used to buy Newby Hall.
No plans for a review into Harrogate’s past
This week, a statue of Queen Victoria in Leeds has been sprayed with graffiti relating referring to slavery and Leeds City Council has said it is reviewing its statues. However, Harrogate Borough Council said that it has no plans to launch such a review.
The Queen Victoria statue in central Harrogate
Many councils in England are reviewing their memorials after protesters in Bristol toppled the Edward Colston statue and dropped it in the harbour.
There has also been pressure on other authorities and organisations to remove statues of people with links to the slave trade, such as Cecil Rhodes, whose statue in Oxford has drawn criticism because of his links with imperialism and colonialism.
