Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

Profit and Loss (1x1)

Air date: Jul 15, 2015

In 1834 Britain abolished slavery, a defining and celebrated moment in our national history. What has been largely forgotten is that abolition came at a price. The government of the day took the extraordinary step of compensating the slave owners for loss of their 'property', as Britain's slave owners were paid £17bn in today's money, whilst the slaves received nothing. The meticulous records that detail this story have lain in the archives virtually unexamined until now. Forensically examining the compensation records, David discovers the range of people who owned slaves and the scale of the slavery business. He traces how Britain's slave economy emerged in the 17th century from just a few pioneering plantation owners, is introduced to some of the brutal tools used to terrorise the slaves, and reads from the sadistic diaries of a notorious British slave owner.