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Liverpool Daily Post & Echo
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Liverpool’s council leader Warren Bradley at the launch of the search for the city’s oldest family.
Parliamentary Archives HL/PO/JO/10/8/106
NEWS
A section of the petition from the citizens of Manchester in support of the 1806 Abolition of the Foreign Slave Trade Bill.
encourages comment and debate, will enable the public to access key documents and explore the complex relationship between Parliament and the slave trade. Both the Manchester abolition
petition and the 1807 Act will be on display in The British Slave Trade: Abolition, Parliament and People, a free exhibition at Westminster Hall from 23 May to 23 September 2007. Check the website for details.
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Am I not a brother and a man? Learn more about Britain’s involvement in the slave trade
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nyone, from schoolchildren to amateur historians, will find a collection of fascinating resources at The National Archives’s (TNA) online exhibition, www. nationalarchives.gov.uk/slavery. Designed to mark the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, the online exhibition draws together a range of historical documents and information describing Britain’s involvement in slavery and the slave trade, along with its eventual abolition. This is linked to extensive material held at Kew, including: registers containing personal details of the slaves; Colonial Office records on how slavery shaped the history of the
West Indian islands; records of British African companies describing Britain’s early relationships with Africa and the supply of Africans to the Americas; and naval and diplomatic records relating to the suppression of the slave trade. Complementing the website, six new research guides describe documents on slavery held by TNA, as well as other archives, and how to locate and research them.
Liverpool’s oldest family tree City launches competition
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nyone living in Merseyside who can prove their family tree goes back further in Liverpool than anyone else, will be invited to take pride of place in a once-in-a-century procession through the city to celebrate its 800th birthday. Winners of the competition to find Liverpool’s longest established family will also be given a heritage weekend in the city The next seven oldest families will receive special Liverpool 800 commemorative gifts. The competition is part of celebrations to mark the anniversary of the city’s first charter, signed by King John. At its launch Councillor Warren Bradley, Leader of Liverpool City Council, visited the city’s Record Office in Liverpool’s Central Library to research his own family history. This includes a great-grandfather (Isaac “Ike” Bradley) who fought for a world bantamweight title in Liverpool in 1906 and 1911. As long as you can prove a Liverpool ancestor and you live in Merseyside, you are eligible to take part. Entrants must send a copy of their family tree, with copies of documented proof, to Liverpool Record Office by 31 July. For more information click on www.liverpool.gov.uk/News/ liverpool_family.asp MAY 2007 ANCESTORS • 7