Blending Black History with Black genealogy. Paul Crooks reveals how he used the Slave Compensation Records to bring his back story to life.

In 1833, The British government passed legislation to end its system of enslavement. Britain raised the equivalent of £20 billion to compensate Britain’s slave owners for the ‘loss of human property.’ It was the largest state-sponsored payout in British history before the banking crisis in 2008. Taxpayers’ money went straight into the pockets of people who had already profited from its system of slavery.

In this Black history masterclass, speaker Paul Crooks will discuss

• his personal journey successfully tracing uncompensated Ancestors once enslaved in Jamaica
• evidence of compensation linked to the enslavement of his ancestors on the Cousins Cove Sugar Plantation, Jamaica
• the Slave Compensation Act 1837
• researching Slave-owners
• exploring ancestry and bringing your back stories to life.

Who Is This Talk For?

The talk is suitable for you if

• you’re new to exploring family history
• you have some experience searching for your ancestors and want to know about other sources of information
• you’ve started and you’re having problems furthering your search
• you want to develop your knowledge and understanding of Black History.