One of the biggest charities in Britain owns the maritime and industrial conglomerate Lloyd’s Register (LR), which has apologised for its historical involvement in the transatlantic trafficking of African slaves. Notwithstanding the apology, the business has come under fire for failing to fully admit its role in the slavery system, which continued after slavery was abolished in 1834. Although the Lloyd’s Register apology is a significant move, concerns still surround its breadth and the extent of the investigation into its past involvement.
How Do the Origins of Lloyd's Register Connect to the Slave Economy?
Lloyd’s Register was first established in 1760 as the Society for the Registry of Shipping, thanks to the efforts of merchants and underwriters who met at Edward Lloyd’s coffee shop on London’s Lombard Street. By offering crucial ship classification services, the company established the foundation for the marine sector that would sustain Britain’s economic growth.
LR has recently acknowledged, meanwhile, how closely its early activities were linked to the slave economy. In order to shed light on the role that the maritime and insurance industries play in the transatlantic trafficking of Africans, the corporation recently commissioned research to examine its historical ties to the enslaved persons trade. The results showed that Lloyd’s Register was crucial in assisting the companies that benefited from the enslavement of Africans, which helped British financial interests grow at that time. Despite its importance, this acknowledgement of Lloyd’s Register’s apology emphasises the necessity of further research into the company’s historical involvement in the system of slavery.
What Information About the Company's Involvement in the Slave Trade Did the Research Show?
The study, which concentrated on documents from 1764 to 1834, was carried out by the University of Hull’s Wilberforce Institute. The results showed that Lloyd’s Register was actively involved in documenting the seaworthiness of ships for use in the purchase, sale, and insurance of slave-trade ships during this period. According to LR’s statement, the corporation admitted to being a part of this system: “It then sold that information on to subscribers, many of whom were actively involved in the slave economy.”
Additionally, the study found that at least six members of the 1764 Society for the Registry of Shipping committee were found to be enslavers, and another six were actively involved in the trafficking of African slaves. “A number of our early committee members were involved in the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved African people,” Lloyd’s Register said in a statement, expressing regret for its past participation. This preliminary study makes it abundantly evident that we were instrumental in sustaining a marine system that supported the slave economy from the time of our founding in 1760 until the UK’s Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. We sincerely apologise for this chapter in our history.
The company also acknowledged the ongoing impact of this legacy:
“Acknowledging this legacy is important for our organisation, the descendants of those affected, and those who still live with the consequences of this trafficking, and society as a whole.”
This is a significant moment in history, as the Lloyd’s Register apology represents an attempt to reckon with the company’s past and take responsibility for its role in the system of enslavement.
What Financial Steps Has Lloyd’s Register Taken to Address This History?
As part of its commitment to addressing this dark chapter in history, Lloyd’s Register has made a £1 million grant to the National Archives. This grant will fund a project to catalogue and share archived materials and support new scholarship in the Caribbean and West Africa, with a focus on creating “new narratives” surrounding the history of enslavement. Additionally, the company has pledged its support for the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, aiding in a project that allows descendant communities to research their histories.
LR is owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, one of the UK’s largest charities, which reported an income of £560 million in 2023. However, some critics argue that the company’s efforts to atone for its past fall short.
Why Are Critics Concerned About the Limited Scope and Funding?
Some critics called the £1 million donation “a pittance” given the profits generated by the exploitation of enslaved people. They also expressed concerns over the narrow scope of the research, which focused only on records up to 1834, when slavery was officially abolished in the British Empire. Critics pointed out that British maritime interests continued to benefit from the plantation economies in the United States and Brazil well after the abolition of slavery in the UK.
“Whilst the original scope of our research took us up until the abolition of slavery in the British empire in 1834, we know that slavery went beyond this date and recognise that there is much more work for us to do,” said Lloyd’s Register in response.
How Did Britain’s Maritime Sector Contribute to the Slave Trade?
The company’s recent statement further acknowledged Britain’s central role in the transatlantic slave trade. British ships forcibly took and transported about 3.4 million people, with 800,000 of them dying in transit across more than 10,000 voyages. Lloyd’s Register’s recognition of its own involvement in this process emphasizes the deep-rooted links between the British maritime sector and the system of enslavement that lasted for centuries.
LR has clarified that it is unaffiliated with Lloyd’s of London, another company that emerged from the same coffee house on Lombard Street in London. Lloyd’s of London issued its own apology for its role in the slave trade in 2020, though both companies share a common history in the maritime and insurance industries.
In closing, Lloyd’s Register’s apology has sparked important conversations about the need for broader recognition and deeper reflection on the lasting effects of the transatlantic slave trade, and the ongoing responsibility of institutions to confront and reckon with their pasts.
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