What role did Leicestershire have in the slave trade?
The role of the landed families
In the 17th century Britain acquired the Caribbean islands of Bermuda, Barbados and Jamaica from the Spanish - the Caribbean offered the potential for high profits through its plantation system. The British introduced the large scale production of tobacco, coffee, cotton and sugar cane. Wealthy Leicestershire landowning families, like the Palmers (Surinam and Jamaica) who are represented in this resource, were swift to seize the opportunity to acquire plantations.
The Palmer family of Wanlip Hall Plantation in Surinam
The Palmers acquired these lucrative plantations, which were run as businesses through Thomas Palmer (1743-1820), a member of the American branch of the family. The plantations had passed to him from the Palmers’ wealthy relatives, the Royall family of Massachusetts. A rare series of surviving documents reveals the names of slaves and glimpses of their lives working on the plantations. These documents were the owners’ administrative records and therefore present a one-sided view – although it does appear that the Palmer slaves may have been 'better' treated than enslaved workers on other plantations.
