By the time Francis Barber arrived in London from Jamaica in 1752, Jamaica had been at the centre of British involvement in slavery for almost a century, and the practice there had been quite different to that in the British colonies on the North American mainland.

Ian Foster will talk about the experience of Jamaican visitors to London in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and reveal how these visitors stimulated discussions about the morals of the transatlantic slave trade.

Income derived from slave labour provided the means to expand Britain’s global influence in commerce, scientific research and the arts but at what cost to others? Earlier visitors from Jamaica and elsewhere had also found themselves caught in the web of money and power that dominated London life during the early 18th century.

Tickets: £10 (includes a complimentary glass of wine)
Booking required