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: 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...

Chinese Labour Corps | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

Chinese Labour Corps | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

BBC Two | 2014 | 4'01''

David Olusoga discusses the experiences of the Chinese labour corp in WW1.

The Indian Corps and trench warfare | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

The Indian Corps and trench warfare | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

BBC Two | 2014 | 4'45''

David Olusoga discusses the Indian corp experiences of industrialised trench warfare.

Indian soldiers in Marseille | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

Indian soldiers in Marseille | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

BBC Two | 2014 | 3'51''

David Olusoga discusses the experiences of the Indian soldiers arriving in Marseille at the begi...

7: Soldiers of Empire | Not Forgotten

7: Soldiers of Empire | Not Forgotten

Channel 4 | 2007 | 48'10''

In this special edition of Not Forgotten, Ian Hislop uncovers the overlooked stories of soldiers from across the British Empire who fou...

5: Shot at Dawn | Not Forgotten

5: Shot at Dawn | Not Forgotten

Channel 4 | 2007 | 48'06''

In this special edition of Not Forgotten, Ian Hislop uncovers the powerful stories of First World War soldiers from across the British Empire...

Episode 1 | The Birth of Empire: The East India Company

Episode 1 | The Birth of Empire: The East India Company

BBC Two | 2014 | 58'57''

Dan Snow travels through India in the footsteps of the company that revolutionised British lifestyles and laid the fo...

Episode 2 | The Birth of Empire: The East India Company

Episode 2 | The Birth of Empire: The East India Company

BBC Two | 2014 | 59'02''

Dan Snow traces the rise and fall of the East India Company, and reveals how the British government controlled the Ea...

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...

6: Age of Empire | Seven Ages of Britain

6: Age of Empire | Seven Ages of Britain

BBC HD | 2010 | 59'10''

David Dimbleby travels through Britain, America and India, tracing the British Empire from 1750 to 1900.

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...

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...

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...

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...

6: Freedom | Michael Wood: The Story of India

6: Freedom | Michael Wood: The Story of India

BBC Two | 2007 | 59'02''

Michael Wood examines the British Raj and traces the events that led to the Partition of India in 1947.

Amritsar 1919: Remembering a British Massacre

Amritsar 1919: Remembering a British Massacre

BBC Radio 4 | 2019 | 27'43''

A century on, historian Dr Zareer Masani reappraises the events and context of the Amritsar massacre in which hundreds of India...

Episode 2 | My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947

Episode 2 | My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947

BBC One | 2017 | 58'14''

Anita Rani and her mother Lucky become the first members of their family to return to what is now Pakistan since the Part...

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.

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...

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...