Descendants of British 'heirs of the slave trade' back reparations payments

Aristocratic families acknowledge the legacy of the slave trade

Caribbean nations seeking reparations for slavery have received support from an unexpected quarter — from the descendants of some of the most famous British families that grew rich on the slave trade. The Gladstone, Lascelles and Trevelyan families, who belonged to the ruling elite, amassed considerable fortunes thanks to plantations in the West Indies and South America. This was reported by AFP.

Personal apologies and voluntary payments

Former BBC journalist Laura Trevelyan told AFP that she did not know about her family's involvement in the slave trade until she learned about the archive of compensation payments to plantation owners, introduced after Parliament abolished slavery in 1833. 'I was in ignorance,' she said. In the database she discovered that family members had claimed compensation for the 'loss of property' on the Caribbean island of Grenada. In 2023, Trevelyan publicly apologised in Grenada and became a co-founder of the Heirs of Slavery group, which supports 'restorative justice'. Together with other family members she paid voluntary personal reparations of about £100,000 ($133,000), intended for educational projects.

Other members of the group

Group co-founder Charlie Gladstone, a direct descendant of the 19th-century prime minister William Gladstone, whose father John was one of the largest slave owners in the British West Indies, in 2023 publicly apologised in Guyana. The group also includes the aristocrat David Lascelles, Earl of Harewood, whose family is closely connected to the royal family. A portrait of the actor David Harewood hangs in the family estate of Harewood House in northern England, after it emerged that his ancestors worked on the Lascelles family's sugar plantations in Barbados.

The position of the state and the King

The UK government once again rejected calls to pay reparations for slavery in September. Modern British royals have expressed regret but, like the government, have not issued official apologies. The question is likely to be raised during King Charles III's Caribbean tour, which begins on Tuesday: he will visit the Bahamas, then Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda, where he will speak at a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King acknowledges the 'darkest days' of colonial rule and slavery during the trip.

Caribbean Community demands and a judicial petition

Guyana's President Irfaan Ali said ahead of the King's visit that his country would continue to push the reparations question, 'because slavery was the worst degradation of humanity'. He called for a 'mature' discussion about apologies and reparations, pointing to possible measures — from debt relief to funding for education, healthcare and climate change adaptation. The Caribbean Community (Caricom) Reparations Commission, as part of its 'ten-point plan', demands 'monetary compensation', debt relief and full apologies. Meanwhile the UK Privy Council — the highest court of appeal for overseas territories — will consider Jamaica's reparations petition next year. The petition asks the court to decide whether the capture, transportation and enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was ever lawful under English law, and whether Britain should provide the people of Jamaica with a 'remedy of restitution'.

Not all families agree

Not all families that grew rich from slavery agree with the approach of the Heirs of Slavery group. Hilary Beckles, chairman of the Caricom Reparations Commission, has repeatedly criticised the former Conservative MP and landowner Richard Drax, 68, whose ancestors founded the Drax Hall estate in Barbados in the mid-17th century. According to Beckles' estimate, up to 30,000 enslaved people died on the Drax plantations in Barbados and Jamaica over 200 years. Drax is consistently opposed to reparations: he stated that although his ancestors' role in the slave trade is 'deeply, deeply regrettable', 'no one today can be held responsible for what happened many hundreds of years ago'. Paul Lashmar, author of a book about the Drax family, noted that the Draxes are unique as the only family still owning a plantation founded at the very beginning, but, in his words, it is increasingly hard to see how Drax's position can prevail: 'If you are very wealthy and a significant part of your wealth comes from those years, then it is not something you can simply brush aside'.