Milton Keynes: New City's Slavery Secrets Uncovered

Milton Keynes, a city founded in 1967, is confronting its historical connections to the transatlantic slave trade and anti-slavery movements. An event scheduled for August 1st aims to shed light on this often-overlooked aspect of the city's heritage.

Although Milton Keynes itself is relatively new, its surrounding areas possess significant historical links to slavery. John Newton, the author of the hymn 'Amazing Grace,' was a former slave ship commander who lived in Olney and later became a curate there. His writings publicly condemned the horrors of the slave trade.

Furthermore, historical records reveal that prominent families and institutions associated with the region benefited from the slave trade. The Verney family of Claydon House owned enslaved individuals, and the Duke of Buckingham received substantial compensation for enslaved people on a Jamaican plantation. This wealth was partly funded by a government loan for slave owners, which was only fully repaid in 2015.

The legacy of slavery also touches the city's development directly through its first chairman, John "Jock" Campbell. His ancestors profited from the West Indies sugar plantations. Campbell himself later reflected on the appalling living conditions of indentured laborers on estates his family owned in Guyana, drawing parallels to the need for improved housing in Milton Keynes.