Perspectives: Collecting the World

Perspectives: Collecting the World

‘Perspectives: Collecting the World’ is an exhibition which will take you on a journey of discovery. Come with us to far flung places as we attempt to understand the way in which the history of Angus is interwoven with world history.

The Angus World Cultures Collection was largely amassed in the 19th century and features some of the earliest collecting held in our museum stores. It shows us how early museums and antiquarian societies played a fundamental part in our historic understanding of cultures, societies and fields of learning throughout the world. The 19th century development of museums runs in tandem with the story of the British Empire therefore this area of the collection unlocks the story of Angus and empire.

In the 17th century, following the failed Darien scheme, Scotland was one of the poorest nations in the world. The Act of Union in 1707 meant that Scotland could access the opportunities for trade in far-flung places that English traders were already enjoying. It is for this reason that Scots’ involvement in trade enterprises such as the East India Company was disproportionately high. Scots benefited from opportunities across the globe as colonial officials, soldiers, traders, missionaries, diplomats and as the owners and overseers of enforced labour plantations. As a result of these opportunities many of them amassed great wealth that flowed back into Angus towns and villages.

The curiosity, tenacity and intelligence of Angus people as they travelled is demonstrated in the fascinating objects they acquired and subsequently donated to museums and antiquarian societies in Angus. Yet, catalogue entries and documentary sources expose contemporary attitudes of white superiority and entitlement that characterise colonial activity of this period.

There are many ethical questions surrounding the objects in this collection. This can be an uncomfortable history as our understanding of empire includes violent conflict, the spread of disease, massive displacement of people from their homelands, and cultural loss. Ultimately the British Empire stripped land and wealth from other nations leaving a devastating legacy still grappled with today.

We hope you will walk with us on this journey of learning as we explore Angus, empire and the world.

South and Southeast Asia

One of a series of paintings from India, this one depicts a Hindu marriage procession. (A1981.133.4)

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uring the 17th century the Indian subcontinent was comprised of several smaller empires or states, the largest of which was the Mughal Empire. It was a highly populated region and a centre for manufacture and international trade. At this time, it generated a quarter of the world’s industrial output. This was evident in the region’s rich and opulent architecture, art and literature.

The rich resources abundant in these areas and the many opportunities they presented led to British trade and economic interest from the 17th century onwards. By the 19th century India was the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the expanding British Empire which was increasing territorial control. This extended into the neighbouring regions of Sri Lanka, Nepal These are from a series of over 300 models and Afghanistan. The expansion and security depicting occupations and pastimes in 19th of the British Empire brought with it war and century India. (A1982.200) conflict, the exploitation of natural resources and people, and the disruption of social systems, religions, and cultural ways of life that had existed for hundreds of years.

The legacies of empire are still around for those living in modern day South and Southeast Asia. Colonial dwellings remain, language is forever changed, social hierarchies implemented under British rule continue to divide, and geopolitical legacies continue to have an impact across the world.

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he East India Company was a trading company, which dealt in cotton, silk, tea and spices. It was formed to capitalise on the Indian subcontinent’s great wealth.

In 1600 the Company was granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I which gave them a trade monopoly in the East Indies and semi-sovereign powers to raise armies, rule territories, build fortifications, mint money and create laws.

Initially they conducted their trade through negotiation and deal brokering and gained increasing commercial success. However, over the course of the following decades the East India Company strengthened their position of power by taking control of vast swathes of India.

Portrait of David Scott the elder, who became Director of the East India Company in 1788. (F1985.38)

East India Company coins (M1981.134-8)

Meanwhile in Scotland the 1707 Act of Union meant that the privileged elite in Scotland now had access to the opportunities available in what were now British colonies. Creating opportunity for the privileged in Scotland was also a way to quell Jacobite sympathies and maintain the strength of the Union. This exchange of opportunity to ensure political support from Scottish elites continued for decades.

Amongst those in Angus who benefited from opportunities with the East India Company was David Scott, from Montrose, who became a director of the Company in 1788.

Scott, in turn, acted as a patron for Montrose-born Joseph Hume, who also served with the East India Company and went on to become an influential radical MP.

Jacket and waistcoat worn by an officer of the East India Company. 18th century. (M1977.396)

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lexander Burnes was born in Montrose in 1805. At the age of 16 he travelled to India to take up a role as a Cadet with the East India Company. He developed an interest in the culture and language of the region, soon distinguishing himself as both an able interpreter and geological surveyor. This combination of skills soon led Burnes to put himself forward to explore the region beyond the bounds of what had been done before.

One of the key political motivations for his expedition was the developing rivalry between the two empires of Britain and Russia for territorial control and influence in Central Asia and beyond.

A key region in which this rivalry played out was Afghanistan.

Alexander Burnes by William Brockedon, 1834.

Source: National Portrait Gallery, 2515(20)

On one mission Burnes travelled by raft up the Indus River under the guise of delivering a much-prized gift from William IV of five Suffolk carthorses and a golden carriage to Ranjit Singh, the Maharaja of Punjab. Disguised within the carriages were cartographers, draftsmen and surveyors equipped to map rivers and assess the viability of sending steamships up the Indus River to facilitate further territorial gain. Burnes was a skilled diplomat and played a central role in political events of the region at this time.

Manuscript and published edition of Alexander’s Burnes’ Travels Into Bokhara, being the Account of a Journey from India to Cabool, Tartary, and Persia published in 1834 (M1981.42 and M2021.111)

Alexander Burnes’ book Travels into Bokhara was published in 1834. It gives an account of his missions in the region and would become a sellout success. Burnes was immortalised in popular culture in George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman series of novels, as the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King, and more recently, as a character in the popular video game Assassin’s Creed.

Modern copy of ‘Travels into Bokhara’ by Alexander Burnes. Source: I. Leon.

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he Clyde was used to transport indentured labourers from British India to European colonies in the West Indies, Africa and Southeast Asia. This system of low-cost labour came about at the behest of plantation owners who sought affordable labour following the abolition of slavery.

In the Summer of 1903, a young woman named Sujaria registered to board the Clyde; the vessel would take her from the bustling port of Calcutta in India to Demerara in Guiana. The region had been a British colony since 1831 and was the location of several sugar plantations.

Sujaria was 27 years old, alone, unmarried and already far from her home village when she boarded the Clyde for the long and arduous journey. She was also four months pregnant. Some Indian women became indentured labourers through force, some through desperation, and others through choice. During the three-month long voyage she would give birth prematurely to a baby boy, who against all odds would survive and join her in her new life on a plantation far from home.

Sujaria was obligated to work on a plantation for three years and remain living within the boundaries of the plantation for a further two years. Female indentured labourers were often tasked with the same work as men which included prepping land, cutting down the sugar cane, and cleaning it. Others were allocated domestic jobs; after Sujaria had completed her required 3 years of labour she became a child minder on the Rose Hall plantation. Payment was poor and living conditions were basic.

Sujaria endured and survived. She eventually left her plantation life behind, married and settled in the village of Cumberland in what is now known as Guyana. She never returned to India

Painting of the vessel Clyde by Lai Fong (1887-1910) (M1977.1196)

For All the Tea in China B

ritain’s relationship with China is interwoven with its control and exploitation of India.

In the first half of the 19th century a corporation known as the East India Company controlled substantial areas of the Indian subcontinent where it was amassing wealth through land taxation and profitable trade in commodities such as spice and textiles.

Britain also wanted to barter with China for goods such as tea, silk and porcelain but realised that a reliance on silver, the official currency of China, would soon deplete British reserves.

The solution reached by British merchants was to smuggle opium farmed on British colonies in India into China.

By the 1830s thousands of chests of opium were being smuggled into China for sale. This resulted in soaring levels of addiction and social instability. In 1839 Commissioner Lin Zexu of the Qing Empire burned 1.2 million kilograms of confiscated opium and issued an order prohibiting its use.

Teapot with embroidered tea cosy (A2009.1 and A2022.42)

The response from British forces was swift and would lead to the first of two Opium Wars from 1839 until 1842. This conflict revealed weaknesses in the Qing Empire and ultimately Britain gained the island of Hong Kong as territory, as well as trading rights in the ports of Shanghai and Canton.

Britain’s push for wider trade opportunities in China, and the legalisation of opium, resulted in the second Opium War from 1856 until 1860. During this conflict the Imperial Palace was burnt down and looted, with many of its treasures now found in museums throughout the world.

To overcome Britain’s reliance on China’s tea, Scottish botanist Robert Fortune was tasked with acquiring the finest tea plants and seeds in China and smuggling them to India to develop a British tea industry. By the end of the 19th century, tea cultivated in the Assam region of India accounted for over 40% of tea imported into the British Isles.

Britian’s iconic identity as a tea-drinking nation is inextricably intertwined with the legacies of colonial trade and expansion.

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his embroidered wall panel is from the Forbidden City, the imperial palace complex in Beijing, China. Originally it would have been a vibrant yellow that only the Imperial family were allowed to use, as yellow was a symbol of supreme power.

Embroidered Panel from the Forbidden City (A2023.6)

It was taken from Beijing to Yunnan in Southwest China by refugees, where it was bought in 1935. It would go on to form part of the embroidery collection presented to Arbroath Public Library in 1964.

Japan F

rom 1639 until 1853 Japan followed a policy of isolation from the rest of the world, known as Sakoku. This policy was introduced to control trade and protect the country from unwanted foreign influence. Throughout this period, only limited trade with China and the Netherlands continued, and Japan prospered, both culturally and economically.

In the latter half of the 19th century Britain sought to establish a relationship with Japan that would allow for trade and commercial opportunity in the region. Japan, in turn, looked to Britain as a model for modernisation. A friendship treaty between the two nations was signed in 1854, the first of several such treaties.

During this period, Britain’s fascination with Japanese art and culture was evident in large scale exhibitions hosted in London, and the introduction of objects from Japan in museum collections.

Japanese Cloth Book (M1980.4826)

Samurai Armour Japan; 19th century

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he word samurai derives from the term meaning ‘one who serves’ and refers to allegiances to military groupings which evolved around the 10th century to protect and expand provincial domains. Samurai had a profound effect on the military and political state of Japan, but they also formed their own aristocratic courts and became major patrons of the arts.

This armour is comprised of layered plates designed to protect the wearer whilst allowing for flexibility of movement.

By the 19th century Samurai armour had a largely ceremonial function.

Suit of Samurai Armour (A1982.140)

Oceania O

ceania is a vast region of the world which includes the countries of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea as well as thousands of islands spread throughout the Pacific Ocean. It encompasses the vast desert landscapes of Australia, the mountainous regions of New Zealand, and the low-lying remote islands of Kiribati in which the relationship with the sea shapes life.

A thread that connects these places, all with their own distinct languages, artistic expressions and spiritual practices, is a relationship with the natural world. For Aboriginal people the Dreaming is the creation of the landscape by their ancestors and a continued connection with the land is central to spiritual life. For Pacific Islanders a harmonious existence with land and sea and the careful use of limited natural resources defines existence.

Selection of clubs from Oceania

This relationship with the natural world is evident in the objects in our collection from Oceania. As well as craftmanship and artistry, they demonstrate innovative use of natural resources and convey the spirituality of the cultures they represent. Although objects for combat, the colour, pattern and form of shields and weaponry imbue them with a ceremonial purpose. Similarly, the exchange of shell objects can define status and power within a community, and the creation of tapa cloth from tree bark is an important form of cultural expression.

Europeans first encountered islands in the Pacific in the 16th century, but it was the voyages of Captain Cook between 1768 and 1780 that put the region on the map for the British in terms of its potential for colonisation. During the period that followed, indigenous people were forcibly removed from the lands of their forebears, natural resources were exploited, and conflict and disease were widespread and devastating.

Today, the legacy of colonisation in many of these regions continues to be a divisive topic.

Indigenous peoples continue to face marginalisation and discrimination as a direct result of this colonial history.

Small island regions in the Pacific are at the front line of climate change, battling rising sea levels and drought which has been brought about, in part, by the drive towards industrialisation fuelled by Empire-building nations such as Britain.

A buia (traditional hut) at Bikenibeu, Tarawa, the capital of the Republic of Kiribati. Photograph by Alison Clark, 2016.

Barkcloth or tapa from the Solomon Islands (A1982.65)

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he practice of creating barkcloth, or tapa, in the Pacific islands stretches back centuries. Generations of women have stripped the bark of trees and used heavy wooden beaters to mould the material into cloth to make clothing and other household items.

The physically demanding rhythmic beating of the cloth was usually accompanied by singing and played an integral role in the lives of the women. The decorative designs and composition are unique to each place.

The Pacific culture of gift-giving has meant that there are many examples of tapa cloth in British museum collections donated by European traders, explorers and missionaries. The practice has been revived more recently with several new makers taking up the craft and exhibiting newly produced tapa.

Coconut Fibre Armour from the island of Kiribati in Micronesia (M1980.4897)

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his coconut fibre armour comes from Kiribati, an island group in Micronesia in the Pacific. It is made of dense coconut fibre matting with a design woven with human hair. The coconut fibre, aside from being one of the few resources available with which to construct the protective clothing, was also thought to possess special protective powers.

Here we can see the breast plate with the high neck piece to protect the wearer from objects thrown from behind. A full suit of armour would feature leggings, arm pieces and a cap and would have been incredibly restrictive, accounts of duels describe warriors as having assistants to help keep them upright as they fought. Examples of Kiribati armour are incredibly rare.

Africa The vast continent of Africa is where we can trace our shared humanity all the way back to the earliest homo sapiens that walked the earth. The history of Africa is characterised by complex civilisations, ancient kingdoms and historical narratives that tell of warrior queens, shared community and a rich spiritual life. Despite this, the history of Africa has often been framed through a European colonial lens.

By the 19th century, explorers and missionaries such as Lanarkshire-born David Livingstone sought to chart key regions of the continent and promote the Christian faith whilst doing so.

Livingstone was a trained physician, missionary and explorer who travelled with the Angusborn botanist John Kirk on his second expedition to chart the Zambesi River. Through these travels they became engaged in the effort to eradicate the Arab-Swahili trade in enslaved Africans which stretched back into ancient times, and instead they advocated for fair trade with Europeans to generate wealth.

Livingstone’s blueprint for Christian missionary work and advocacy for positive trade relations existed alongside the enduring attitudes of white European superiority which promoted an ‘othering’ of African people and societies. The knowledge shared by Livingstone following his expeditions led to a significant drive to exploit Africa’s natural resources to fuel the growing industrialisation of Britain.

The Berlin Conference, held in 1884, sought to formalise ‘the scramble for Africa’. During the conference European corporations gathered to discuss how to divide African territory amongst themselves, and by 1914 only Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent African nations. In contrast there existed up to 30 colonies and protectorates imposed by five European countries, with Britain claiming half of these.

The legacy of slavery and colonisation of Africa is one of displacement, division and shared trauma that stretches through generations and is still keenly felt today. The African philosophy of ‘Ubuntu’ in the Nguni language means ‘humanity to others’ or ‘I am what I am, because of who we all are’. Whilst we continue to tell a one-sided version of history that fails to represent vast numbers of people and the inter-connectedness of our shared histories, we are all disadvantaged.

Writing case from Kano, Nigeria (M1980.4618)

Paddle

Nigeria, West Africa

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his wooden carved paddle is from the Niger Delta in Nigeria and was used by the Igbo people. Paddles such as this one would have been used in ceremonies around water and its importance for trade and communication.

Paddle from Nigeria (M1980.4622)

Mbira

Zambia or Zimbabwe; 19th Century

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mbira is a musical instrument with ten metal finger keys on a hollow wooden sounding board. It is played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs and forefinger. It is an important instrument played at religious ceremonies, weddings and other social gatherings.

Mbira (M1980.4634)

Angus and the Transatlantic Slave Trade T

he transatlantic slave trade emerged in the early 1600s and lasted over 200 years.

During this time over 12 million African people were forcibly taken from their homes, enslaved, and brutalised on enforced labour plantations where they produced sought-after commodities such as sugar, tobacco and cotton. Many died in slave raids in their home villages; those that survived endured weeks or months in slave-holding pens and were then shipped across the Atlantic Ocean in cramped, disease-ridden conditions. Those that withstood the journey were to discover that conditions on the plantations were not much improved. Their enslavers justified their actions by defining African people as sub-human.

The Slave Trade and Angus It is thought that up to 30 vessels from Montrose may have transported enslaved people to the Americas. The vessel Potomac Merchant left Montrose in 1751 for Holland to acquire a cargo of beads which was taken to West Africa to ‘obtain a cargo of slaves’. The vessel then sailed to Virginia where the cargo of enslaved people was sold to finance the purchase of tobacco and sugar to be brought back to Britain.

Angus-born merchants such as John Tailyour and Hercules Ross participated in the trade of enslaved people by becoming dealers: they negotiated the purchase and sale of enslaved people on behalf of plantation owners and merchants. John Tailyour’s correspondence reveals that it could be difficult to obtain high prices due to the huge volume of vessels shipping ‘African cargo’. He advises to select only ‘prime slaves’ as the very young and very old would be worth ‘half the price’.

Angus and Enforced Labour Plantations Many Angus individuals owned plantations in the Americas that produced commodities using enforced African labour. With their profits, many returned to Angus to build or buy impressive country homes. These included the Cruikshanks of Stracathro House near Montrose, the Shands of the Burn House in Edzell, and Hercules Ross of Rossie Castle in Montrose. These wealthy individuals also contributed to the formation of key public institutions in their local towns, and so some of our grandest buildings were funded from the proceeds of slavery.

Resistance Many enslaved people defied plantation overseers by retaining their own languages, religious practices, and cultural traditions. Some enslaved people ran away from plantations in a brave and defiant bid to re-gain their freedom. Many participated in uprisings which proved to be central in the fight to abolish transatlantic slavery.

Those who profited from enforced labour generally railed against abolition. John Tailyour from Montrose wrote that: ‘I wish the good people in Britain would content themselves with squabbling about nonsense at home and let the West Indies alone’.

In direct contrast, Hercules Ross from Montrose gave evidence in support of abolition to a House of Commons Select Committee in 1791, detailing the brutal treatment of enslaved people he had witnessed.

However, it was black abolitionists such as Ignatius Sancho and Olaudah Equiano who drove the movement to abolish slavery by publishing biographical accounts of slavery and visiting cities across Britain, including Edinburgh and Aberdeen, to garner support.

Slavery was finally abolished across the British Empire in 1833. However, protecting profit remained vital. Plantation owners across the British Empire received a share of £20 million, around £17 billion in today’s money, in compensation. The newly emancipated people received no compensation and were forced into a new apprenticeship scheme, which tied them to their plantations for up to six further years.

Descendants of Enslaved People in Angus It was not uncommon for plantation owners and overseers to have relationships with enslaved women. In many cases children born from these relationships entered a life of enslavement themselves. Sometimes they were freed and financially provided for in the country of their birth.

Others who fathered children with enslaved women brought them back to Britain to be educated and integrated into British society. John Shand owned plantations in Jamaica and had ten children with Frances Brown, an enslaved woman of African and European descent who was his housekeeper. He returned to Scotland in 1816, purchasing The Burn Estate in Edzell and bringing his children with him to be educated. One daughter, Millborough Shand, married a surgeon from Brechin in 1826. Another, Frances Batty Shand, moved to Cardiff where she was involved in founding the Cardiff Institute for the Blind.

John Tailyour owned plantations in Kingston, Jamaica. He sent three of his children to Britain under the care of his family in Montrose. One of his sons, James Taylor, was sent to Yorkshire to be educated. His uncle then attempted to secure a cadetship with the East India Company for James. The application process was gruelling, and James faced many objections relating to his race and legitimacy. His Uncle describes attempts to hide his racial identity: ‘I try’d him in powder and various coloured dresses - powder made him much worse - I got him a blue coat and had his hair cut - and in that way he passed the Committee of Shipping’.

Legacy Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade is inextricably linked to empire, and a drive to impose order and hierarchy on the world. The wealth generated as a result of the enforced labour of African people was vast and can still be seen all around us in our townscapes. The legacy of slavery endures in the everyday and structural racism that is still prevalent in society. *Please note the properties mentioned here are no longer associated with the named families.

Olaudah Equiano (‘Gustavus Vassa’), about 1745-1797.

Engraving on paper by Daniel Orme. | Source: Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Lewis Black

James Irvine | Oil on canvas, circa 1850-1886

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his portrait study by the acclaimed Montrose artist James Irvine features as its subject Lewis Black (often referred to as Louis) who was owned and enslaved by Alexander MacKay of Montrose. Victorian portraiture favours the wealthy, the powerful and the influential, so this portrait of a previously enslaved black person is both rare and significant.

MacKay brought Lewis Black from Brazil to Montrose sometime in the 1830s when he was in his teens. When MacKay returned to Brazil to continue to pursue his business interests there, Lewis was able to stay in Montrose as a free man. In the 1841 census Lewis is listed as living with other members of the MacKay family in Montrose as a servant, but in subsequent census returns he is listed as the head of his own household undertaking various occupations in the town. He married Margaret McKenzie and had five children, continuing to live in the town until his death in 1886 aged 66 years.

As we try to piece together the facts of Lewis’ life, his own voice is markedly missing from the narrative. Therefore, we will never know the truth of his story in all its undoubted complexities.

Lewis Black (M1977.1169)

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his contract is between the Montrose Tobacco Merchants Thomas Douglas and Co. and Thomas Gibson, Master of their ship Potomac. It was signed on 15th July 1751.

The vessel the Potomac, set sail from Holland in 1751 with a cargo of beads and bangles. These would be taken to Bonny on the west coast of Africa where they would be used to purchase African men and women and force them into chattel slavery.

They would be transported across the Atlantic to the Americas or the Caribbean to work on tobacco or sugar plantations. The ship master would then purchase a cargo of tobacco leaves which would be shipped to British ports to further the thriving tobacco industry.

At Bonny, records show that on this voyage 260 enslaved Africans were purchased, but only 197 survived the journey.

Contract for the sale of enslaved people (M1978.95)

Donor Stories Captain James Hughes

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aptain James Hughes from Montrose was the master of an Aberdeen tea clipper named Inverness from 1880 until 1885. The Inverness was built in Aberdeen by Hall, Russell & Company in 1869, the same year as the more famous Cutty Sark which was constructed on the Clyde.

Tea clippers were renowned for their feats of speed in the fiercely competitive tea trade.

Clippers were slender, with a narrow hull that was deeper at the back than the front; some were built with as many as six tiers of sails to a mast amounting to a total of 35 sails. They earned their name from the way that they ‘clipped off’ the miles. The ships that could make the trip the quickest would receive the highest prices for tea brought back to British ports from China.

Carved Ivory dagger and sheath (M1980.4995) acquired by Captain James Hughes and later donated to Montrose Museum

Towards the end of the 19th century the clipper sailing ships were superseded by the faster, larger and more efficient steam ships, and the opening of the Suez Canal which dramatically reduced the journey length between the Far East and the Mediterranean.

When Hughes was master of the Inverness, he acquired objects from China that were later donated to Montrose Museum in the 1960s. He went on to become harbourmaster in Montrose from 1897 until 1915 and was also involved in the jute trade in Dundee. He was a well-known Montrose personality and died in 1931 at the age of 96 at his home in Ferry Street.

Rev. J Tait Scott (1854-1894)

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n 1880 Reverend J. Tait Scott and his Montrose-born wife Eliza travelled to Mer Island (also known as Murray Island) in the Torres Strait Island Region of Queensland, Australia.

Queensland was claimed as a colony of the British Empire in 1770 by Lieutenant James Cook and the Torres Strait Islands were annexed as part of this colony in 1879.

The newly married couple received a warm welcome to the island which Eliza declared ‘the most beautiful place I have ever seen, by a long way.’ Reverend Scott was a missionary with the London Missionary Society and was sent to spread Christianity in the region.

The couple spent time on Erub Island (also known as Darnley Island) and in mainland Queensland too, with Eliza keeping a comprehensive journal featuring illustrated accounts of the local flora and fauna and cultural practices of the islanders.

In 1882, following the death of their infant son, the couple returned to Scotland. The same year Reverend Scott donated two objects to Montrose Natural History and Antiquarian Society. In 1883, also in Montrose, he published a series of 34 parables in the local dialect of Erub Island, which he dedicated to his son.

The Christian faith is still practised in Torres Strait Island communities and the arrival of the missionaries is celebrated each year with a festival called ‘Coming of the Light’.

Bilum pouch (M1980.4806) donated by Rev. J Tait Scott

‘Excerpt from Eliza Scott’s Journal’ Source: State Library of Queensland.

Alexander Cruikshank (1764-1846)

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n 1827, having made his fortune overseas, Alexander Cruikshank purchased the estate of Stracathro, near Edzell, and engaged the esteemed Aberdeen architect Archibald Simpson to design an impressive country house on the estate. What we now know is that the Palladian mansion, with its sprawling grounds and gardens, was constructed using profits generated by the labour of enslaved Africans.

Alexander was born and brought up alongside his three brothers in a farming family from north Aberdeenshire. It is likely that he followed in the footsteps of his brothers to make his fortune on plantations in the Caribbean and British Guiana in the latter half of the 18th century. He would go on to own five plantation estates worked by almost 700 hundred enslaved African people. In 1836, he received over £30,000 to compensate for the emancipation of enslaved people on his estates. This was part of a £20 million programme of compensation awarded by the government when parliament passed legislation to abolish slavery in the British Empire in 1833.

Sharktooth Sword (M1980.4772) donated by Alexander Cruikshank

By the 1840s, the Gilbert Islands (now known as Kiribati) were frequently visited by European traders who exchanged items such as metal goods and tobacco for food supplies. European visitors became fascinated with the way of life on this remote island community. The fierce looking shark tooth weaponry and coconut fibre armour were sought after objects for exchange and as a result found their way into British museums. It is plausible to imagine that Alexander Cruikshank was in some way connected to this network of trade and this would explain how he came to donate numerous objects from Kiribati to the Montrose Natural History and Antiquarian Society in 1841.

Alexander Cruikshank died in 1846 in Demerara, Guiana, in apparent financial difficulty.

Stracathro House and estate were sold not long after.

Stracathro House, from Gershom Cumming, Forfarshire Illustrated, 1843. Source: ANGUSalive.

Alex Alexander: From Montrose to Mombasa

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uring the 19th century European trade interest in the rich resources of the African continent was growing. Zanzibar was a key place of commerce for Britain but exploration to the area had also raised concerns about the ongoing trade in enslaved people in the region. The trans-Saharan trade was driven by Arab people, travelling across the Indian Ocean to the East Coast of Africa and working with local ‘agents’ to capture and enslave people who were then held in abhorrent conditions and sold in slave markets in Zanzibar. Under the guidance of Angus-born John Kirk, who was the Vice Consul of Zanzibar, Lloyd Matthews, an officer of the British Navy, formed a European style army to suppress the internal trade in slaves and quash any rebellion against the Zanzibar government. This culminated in an agreement which placed Zanzibar under a British Protectorate in 1890. Lloyd Matthews was appointed First Minister of Zanzibar and led a cabinet which comprised mainly British personnel.

Alex Alexander was born in Montrose in 1862. He played an active part in town life, marrying the daughter of a local mill manager and serving an apprenticeship in the British Linen Company’s bank on the High Street.

After a banking apprenticeship and a short time working in London, in 1891, Alexander travelled to East Africa. In 1897 he was appointed by Lloyd Matthews to be Assistant Treasurer to the Zanzibar Government, and in 1890 he was appointed Treasurer, a position he held until his death in 1909. In Matthews’ absence he acted as First Minister of the Zanzibar government for a large portion of 1901 whilst Matthews was ill with malaria.

He donated several objects from Kenya and Uganda to the Montrose Natural History and Antiquarian Society in 1895.

Drum from Uganda (M1980.4671) donated by Alex Alexander

Lieutenant Henry Renny of the Royal Niger Company

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he Royal Niger Company was formed in 1879 to develop British trade interests along the Niger Delta. The Company created several trading outposts along the Lower Niger River to develop a monopoly in the trade of palm oil. Despite initial assurances that local free trade could continue, the Company soon sought to widen its trade in the area and restrict trade by the ruling Chiefs of the region.

The British persisted in efforts to impose treaties on the Oba of Benin believing his continued trade monopoly in the area to be a threat to their interests. In January 1897, James Robert Phillips, Acting Consul-General of the Niger Coast Protectorate, set out on an expedition to meet with the Oba in Benin to discuss what the British considered to be a failure to uphold trade agreements. Suspecting the British motivation of the expedition was to depose the Oba, his entire party was ambushed and slaughtered on their journey to Benin City.

This event led to the mounting of a retaliatory mission, known as the Punitive Expedition, to invade Benin and capture the Oba. Thousands of people were slaughtered and in the aftermath, Benin was plundered and countless objects and artworks sent back to Britain, many finding their way into museums. Benin was occupied by the British and eventually absorbed into British Colonial Nigeria.

Lieutenant Henry Thomas Renny was a member of the Renny-Tailyour family from the Borrowfield area of Montrose. He joined the 1st Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1887 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1890. The Battalion served with the Royal Niger Constabulary to defend the Company’s trade outposts. He died at Abutshi, likely during the invasion of the Kingdom of Benin in 1897.

A number of objects from Nigeria acquired by Lieutenant Renny were donated to Montrose Natural History and Antiquarian Society in 1897 following his death.

Arm Dagger from Nigeria (M1980.4893) donated by Lieutenant Henry Renny

‘Perspectives: Collecting the World’ is the culmination of a Museums Galleries Scotland funded programme of work to catalogue, research and share our World Cultures Collection. The collection is comprised of over 800 objects from Asia, Africa, Oceania and North America primarily collected during the 19th century.

Many cultural organisations are now working towards decolonising their museums and collections. This approach involves re-examining objects, narratives and catalogue records to attempt to acknowledge and redress the power imbalances that exist within these collections as a result of Britain’s history as an empire-building nation. The ANGUSalive Museums and Galleries team have undertaken work to present a more balanced narrative by researching the cultural and historical context of these objects in depth, and through challenging the Eurocentric perspective that has been pervasive.

The project engages with topics such as identity and representation within museum spaces, legacies of slavery and empire in Scotland, and the repatriation of objects. It signals ANGUSalive’s commitment to participate within this area of work and positively contribute to the important sector-wide initiatives taking place throughout Scotland.

We encourage our visitors to re-discover history by exploring the legacies of Empire and colonialism in our museum collections, our towns, and in our national identity. We hope that together we can question, learn, and grow by exploring this forgotten aspect of our shared history.

With thanks Museums and Galleries Team ANGUSalive

Find out more about our museums and collections by visiting www.angusalive.scot/museums-galleries/ We look forward to welcoming you at Arbroath Signal Tower Museum, Forfar Meffan Museum & Art Gallery, and Montrose Museum & Art Gallery.

As a charity, every penny we earn is invested back into our services for the benefit of the local community. We welcome donations to preserve our collections for future generations.

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Text by Ingrid Leon Curatorial Assistant (World Cultures)

© ANGUSalive Museums & Galleries