Interesting to see about Peter Hawker, son of George who was a clerk to the Navigation company, who married into slave ownership. I have found a few folk who were shareholders in the Company who did not live in Stroud who had interesting enslaving connections. A chap called Thomas Jones, ‘gentleman’, of Bristol owned 3 shares in the Company in the 1790. There was at the same time a Thomas Jones of Bristol also described as an ‘African merchant’. He owned ships plying the African trade and between 1789 and 1793 managed 10 voyages delivering 2,299 slaves. He died in 1795 leaving £1000 + interest to his son Frederick ‘for his education’. William Jenkins of Shepton Mallet owned 4 shares between 1802 and 1806. His daughter Marianne married Edward Francis Colston, descendant and heir of the infamous Edward Colston. There were a few other names I came across that might have had connections to slave owning but the links were less clear. For example. Was the shareholder Charles Hill, ship builder of Bristol, the same of that name who received a share of £3757-15-9 for 196 enslaved? And was the W. Cook of Gloucester, shareholder, the same W. Cook who was involved in a Chancery suit with others regarding a share of £3852-15-0 for 206 enslaved on the Barton Estate in Jamaica? I don’t think we shall ever know for certain and to know would be interesting but not important.
- sootallures