top of page

How does one ship, built in Sunderland, illuminate how people resisted enslavement?

Pause

PNS believes that the horrors and inhumanity of the Middle Passage should be known and understood. However, as an online educational tool, the focus is on rebellion and escape, rather than just the inhumane treatment. You can research the Middle Passage in more detail.

 

We focus on full scale revolts. However, we fully acknowledge that rebellion took many forms and honour all those who were taken.

Map of Sunderland 1817

Public Domain

plan-of-sunderland-bishopwearmouth-and-monkwearmouth-1817-b6b80c.jpg

Ship building in the Northeast

Along the Tyne and Wear, ships have been built for centuries, their most prosperous export being coal.

​

The region did not have direct links to the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans (TTEA) for many reasons. One reason being, it was cheaper and quicker for ports facing the Atlantic to be part of this. Places like Bristol, Liverpool, even parts of Cumbria were more able. As such they are a lot more closely linked to TTEA. 

​

However, with shipbuilding being such a huge industry some ships and sailors are still linked. 

africa-political-map-41a2b4.jpg

The Vigilant

A ship called The Alfred was built in Sunderland in 1780. Later it was bought by London merchants and its name changed to The Vigilant.

 

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Voyages website[1] https://www.slavevoyages.org/voyage/83970/variableslists two ships built in Sunderland and 10 built in Newcastle, which were most likely part of transporting enslaved people.

​

On 28th March 1786 The Vigilant sailed for Africa. 

​

On 27th October 1786 it was reported in newspapers that The Vigilant had been ran aground* by enslaved people on board. The captain and second mate had been killed. 

​

This happened in Annamaboe (Present day Ghana).

​

*Ran aground: To hit the coast or bottom of the water, often becoming stuck. 

​

Are revolts on slaves ships newsworthy?

​

 

There are around 485 records of revolts on slave ships: one in ten voyages. It is likely that this number is higher. Records were not kept or were lost. Revolts were not recorded by reluctant sailors which may also have stopped a bigger number coming to light.

 

Although there are brief mentions of the fate of the Vigilant in news reports, not much is reported. This suggests this was hardly ‘big news.’ It adds to what James Field Stanfield wrote about when he said, ‘an impenetrable veil . . . has been thrown over this traffic for such a number of years.’

​

Why do you think that the media might have avoided writing about revolts aboard slave ships? 

Ship Rebellions

If your ship ran aground, could you escape?

 

The chances of successful escape were low. This did not stop enslaved people trying. 

There was a greater chance of escape if the ship was still close to the West African coast. 

​

In 1704, 400 men, women and children successfully escaped The Eagle and made it back to land.

​

The Role of Women

The chances of successful escape were higher the more women on the ship. 

​

Women were seen by enslavers as less of a threat and allowed more freedom on the ship. They were allowed on deck and spent less time chained up. This allowed women to move more freely, to organise and plan escapes and resistance. 

Over to You!

History Detective challenge 

Research journeys made by enslaving ships using the website - https://www.slavevoyages.org/voyage/database

​

This will show you if ships used to enslave people were built / sailed from near to where you live. 

​

  • Go to Ship, Nation, Owner at the top of the page. 

  • Go to Construction and Registration in the drop down menu. 

  • In Place Constructed, type the name of the port town you wish research and click if it comes up.  

Slave Voyages is a resource that you can use to investigate the journeys made by enslaved people. 

It covers the
Middle Passage in great detail and Inter-American journeys. 

Experts in many fields,  from many countries, made this and continue to add to this database and provide material to learn more. 

  • White Facebook Icon
  • White Twitter Icon

© 2023 by DAILY ROUTINES. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page