Dated April 10 1810 a Commission issued by George III on behalf of the Vice Admiralty court to George Rickards, High Sheriff of Sierra Leone to examine all those people seized in the practice of the slave trade.
Commission to examine and seize slave ships
This material is held atUniversity of Birmingham, Cadbury Research Library, Special Collections
- Reference
- GB 150 MS503
- Dates of Creation
- 1810
- Language of Material
- English
- Physical Description
- 1 item
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
The Court of Vice-Admiralty was established in Sierra Leone in 1808, ostensibly to bring a legal dimension to the due process of seizing slave ships operating in the waters off the territory. Its other purpose however was to ensure the systematic asset stripping of each and every vessel - a practice which very rapidly grew into a hugely lucrative bonus for the British. Thus financial gain to be obtained from the seized cargoes of the slave ships was added to the humanitarian dimension to drive ahead the total abolition of slavery.
Source: Sale catalogue
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