Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners

Duration: 59'21''

Synopsis

In 1834 Britain abolished slavery, a defining and celebrated moment in our national history. What has been largely forgotten is that abolition came at a price. The government of the day took the extraordinary step of compensating the slave owners for loss of their 'property', as Britain's slave owners were paid £17bn in today's money, whilst the slaves received nothing.

Further Information

More clips from Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

First slave society in Barbados | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

First slave society in Barbados | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

BBC Two | 2015 | 4'09''

David Olusoga discusses the first slave society in Barbados.

Implements of torture | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

Implements of torture | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

BBC Two | 2015 | 2'47''

David Olusoga views the implements of torture that slave owners used to enforce the slave plantation system.

Slave inheritance | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

Slave inheritance | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

BBC Two | 2015 | 5'09''

David Olusoga explains how slaves were passed down through families in inheritance.

Slave Owner Compensation Commission | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

Slave Owner Compensation Commission | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

BBC Two | 2015 | 4'40''

David Olusoga introduces the slave owner compensation records.

Slave plantation system | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

Slave plantation system | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

BBC Two | 2015 | 4'09''

David Olusoga discusses the slave plantation system in the Caribbean.

The beginnings of the British slave trade | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

The beginnings of the British slave trade | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

BBC Two | 2015 | 3'23''

David Olusoga investigates the beginnings of the British slave trade in Barbados.

West India Docks and the sugar economy | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

West India Docks and the sugar economy | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

BBC Two | 2015 | 2'57''

David Olusoga visits the West India Docks in London and discusses the impact of slavery on the Brit...

More resources about The British empire

1: A Taste of Power | Empire

1: A Taste of Power | Empire

BBC One | 2012 | 59'20''

Jeremy Paxman begins by asking how such a small country got such a big head and came to rule a quarter of the world.

1: Home from Home | Lost World of the Raj

1: Home from Home | Lost World of the Raj

BBC Two | 2007 | 58'50''

The first episode recreates the era of the 1930s, when British expatriates attempted to create an idyllic version of English life i...

1: Martial Races | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

1: Martial Races | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'04''

David Olusoga challenges our perceptions of the First World War with the stories of the millions of Indian, ...

1: The Atlantic Slave Trade | History File

1: The Atlantic Slave Trade | History File

BBC Two | 1997 | 19'07''

The development of the triangular trade is described from its ancient origins, through the European involvement in the 16th and 17...

1: The Viceory of India | A Passage to Britain

1: The Viceory of India | A Passage to Britain

BBC Two | 2018 | 58'27''

Dr Yasmin Khan tracks down passengers who travelled from Mumbai to Britain in the 1930s on the luxurious P&O liner The Viceroy...

1: Why Britain? | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World

1: Why Britain? | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World

Channel 4 | 2003 | 48'27''

In this programme we learn about the origins of the British empire in the 17th century and how its foundations we...

10: India: The Brightest Jewel | Twentieth Century History

10: India: The Brightest Jewel | Twentieth Century History

BBC One | 1978 | 19'54''

Programme covers events in India from the 1930s to Independence and Partition in 1947.

2: Foreign Legions | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

2: Foreign Legions | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'00''

In part two, historian David Olusoga explains how the First World War spread far beyond the mud and trench...

2: Making Ourselves at Home | Empire

2: Making Ourselves at Home | Empire

BBC One | 2012 | 58'46''

Jeremy Paxman continues by examining how traders, conquerors and settlers spread the British way of doing things.

2: Pirates | Britain's Outlaws: Highwaymen, Pirates and Rogues

2: Pirates | Britain's Outlaws: Highwaymen, Pirates and Rogues

BBC Four | 2015 | 58'58''

Sam Willis explores the golden age of piracy during the early 18th century and charts the devastating impact p...

2: Sex and Sensibility | Lost World of the Raj

2: Sex and Sensibility | Lost World of the Raj

BBC Two | 2007 | 58'39''

Raj society was based on a formal order of precedence, but behind the scenes there was a great deal of flirtation, fun, affair...

2: White Plague | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World

2: White Plague | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World

Channel 4 | 2003 | 49'15''

The concept of 'plantation' is explored in this programme, referring not to crops but the settlement of British p...

2. On trial | The Compass

2. On trial | The Compass

BBC World Service | 2022 | 26'26''

Ken Saro Wiwa and Ledum Mittee come face to face with the power of the Nigerian state.

3: Playing the Game | Empire

3: Playing the Game | Empire

BBC One | 2012 | 58'45''

Jeremy Paxman continues by tracing the growth of a peculiarly British type of hero.

3: Pomp and Power | Lost World of the Raj

3: Pomp and Power | Lost World of the Raj

BBC Two | 2007 | 59'09''

Set against the backdrop of British India from the 1920s to Independence in 1947, this third and last programme in the series tells...

3: The Jewel in the Crown | British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

3: The Jewel in the Crown | British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley

BBC Four | 2017 | 59'11''

Lucy explores how British history is a concoction of fibs. She debunks the fibs that surround th...

3: The Mission | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World

3: The Mission | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World

Channel 4 | 2003 | 49'06''

Following the religious revival that started in the late 18th century, missionaries began working in Africa and In...

3: The Two Nations | Union with David Olusoga

3: The Two Nations | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'09''

The 19th-century union appears secure, but beneath the surface run deep divisions, leading to the emergence of a new working-cl...

4: Heaven's Breed | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World

4: Heaven's Breed | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World

Channel 4 | 2003 | 49'08''

In this programme we discover how a few thousand British people ruled over India, a country of more than 250 mi...

5: Doing Good | Empire

5: Doing Good | Empire

BBC One | 2012 | 58'44''

In the final part of his personal account of Britain's empire, Jeremy Paxman tells the story of how a desire for conquest became a mission to improve ...

More from David Olusoga

An abandoned baby | A House Through Time

An abandoned baby | A House Through Time

BBC Two | 2020 | 5'41''

David Olusoga tells the sad story of a baby called Martha who was found on the doorstep of 10 Guinea Street.

4: Union and Disunion | Union with David Olusoga

4: Union and Disunion | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'33''

The 20th century sees partition in Ireland. A sense of national unity emerges in the aftermath of the Second World War, but ...

Ring Vaccination and the Eradication of Smallpox | Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

Ring Vaccination and the Eradication of Smallpox | Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

BBC Four | 2021 | 3'44''

In the late 1960s, William Foege was running out of smallpox vaccine in Niger...

The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files

The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files

BBC Two | 2019 | 58'55''

How black immigrants who made Britain their home came face to face with the government's 'hostile environment'. David Olusoga exposes...

Māori art | Civilisations

Māori art | Civilisations

BBC Two | 2018 | 1'37''

David Olusoga explores Māori art and the importance of the tattoo.

Kitchener and British Empire Historiography | A Timewatch Guide

Kitchener and British Empire Historiography | A Timewatch Guide

BBC Four | 2017 | 3'35''

David Olusoga explains how perceptions of empire have shifted throughout different generations.

3: Moral Mission | Black and British: A Forgotten History

3: Moral Mission | Black and British: A Forgotten History

BBC Two | 2016 | 58'40''

In part three of this groundbreaking series, historian David Olusoga explores the Victorian moral crusade against s...

The beginnings of the British slave trade | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

The beginnings of the British slave trade | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

BBC Two | 2015 | 3'23''

David Olusoga investigates the beginnings of the British slave trade in Barbados.

French troops from Sub-Saharan West Africa | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

French troops from Sub-Saharan West Africa | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

BBC Two | 2014 | 4'06''

David Olusoga investigates the WW1 experiences of French troops from Sub-Saharan W...