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Legacies of Slavery Project

As part of its commitment to responding to the Black Lives Matter movement, and to engaging more fully with its own institutional history, since March 2020 Exeter College has been undertaking research to determine whether it may have profited from the proceeds of slave-ownership and coerced labour. The College has a role to play in helping to uncover and acknowledge the extent to which British institutions and British society and culture more generally benefited from the profits of enslavement.

Persons of Interest

Like many other institutions, the starting point for this investigation has been to collate information drawn from UCL’s Legacies of British Slave-ownership database, as well as to consult the College’s own archival resources, in order to uncover individuals with a connection to both Exeter College and to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Thus far, twenty-eight persons of interest have been identified, the details of which can be viewed below.

To date, apart from the payment of individual student fees, no substantial additional benefits (e.g. donations) to the College from these Exonians, or from others in receipt of slavery compensations have been identified. Yet these findings underline how Exeter College, like other institutions, benefitted from and shared in the prevalent culture of slave ownership in the period.

Our preliminary research suggests that these twenty-eight individuals had varying levels of association with slave-ownership, as well as to the College itself. Investigations are ongoing, but details of these individuals are provided below. Those seeking further biographical information will find entries for each within the College’s official Registers: Joseph Foster, Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715-1886, 4 Vols. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1891) & Rev. Charles William, Boase, Registrum Collegii Exoniensis: An Alphabetical Register of the Commoners of Exeter College, Oxford, Vol. 2 (Oxford: Printed at Baxter’s Press, 1894).

  1. Rowland Frye of Warfield (1746-1801). Matriculated 09 May 1764. Potential no. of associated claims: 1. Potential compensation value: £3251 0s 10d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 2, p. 499; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 116; UCL Profile – Rowland Frye
  2. William Harriott Senior (1768 – 1821). Matriculated 03 November 1788. Potential no. of associated claims: 3. Potential compensation value: £5928 15s 9d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 2, p. 611; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 141; UCL Profile – William Harriott Senior
  3. John Harriott (c.1770 – ?). Matriculated 26 March 1789. Potential no. of associated claims: unknown. Potential compensation value: unknown. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol.2, p. 611; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 141.
  4. Rt. Rev. Henry Phillpotts (1778 – 1869). Matriculated 07 November 1791 (Corpus Christi). Potential no. of associated claims: 3. Potential compensation value: £12729 4s 4d Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 3, p. 1111; UCL Profile – Rt. Rev. Henry Phillpotts
  5. Hon. Rev. William Herbert (1778 – 1847). Matriculated 16 October 1795 (Christ Church). Potential no. of associated claims: 2. Potential compensation value: £4532 14s 7d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 2, p. 643; Boase. Register, vol. 2, p. 153; UCL Profile – Hon. Rev. William Herbert
  6. James Hewitt Massy Dawson (1779 – 1834). Matriculated 06 Feb 1796. Potential no. of associated claims: 2. Potential compensation value: £8523 13s 7d Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 1, p. 355; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 84; UCL Profile – James Hewitt Massy Dawson
  7. Rev. William Harriott (1790 – 1847). Matriculated 18 Nov 1807. Potential no. of associated claims: 1. Potential compensation value: £5928 15s 9d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 2, p. 611; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 141; UCL Profile – Rev. William Harriott
  8. James Irving (Irvine) III (1789 -1855). Matriculated 28 July 1808. Potential no. of associated claims: 4. Potential compensation value: £7689 5s 3d Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 2, p. 731; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 171; UCL Profile – James Irving III
  9. Rev. William David Longlands (1792 – 1866). Matriculated 20 February 1810. Potential no. of associated claims: 1. Potential compensation value: £6359 0s 6d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 3, p. 871; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 197; UCL Profile – Rev. William David Longlands
  10. John West (1794 – 1857). Matriculated 26 January 1813. Potential no. of associated claims: 1. Potential compensation value: £2881 5s 0d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 4, p. 1527; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 350; UCL Profile – Rev. John West
  11. Joan (John) Teschemaker (1792 – 1867). Matriculated 29 October 1813. Potential no. of associated claims: 1. Potential compensation value: £5293 6s 1d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 4, p. 1401; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 318; UCL Profile – John Teschemaker
  12. Rev. Thomas Lawrence (1800-1881). Matriculated 7 July 1816. Potential no. of associated claims: 1. Potential compensation value: unknown. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 3, p. 825; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 190.
  13. Sir Robert Marsh Horsford (1798 – 1875). Matriculated 07 December 1816. Potential no. of associated claims: 5. Potential compensation value: £3509 8s 4d Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 2, p. 694; Boase. Register, vol. 2, p. 165; UCL Profile – Robert Horsford
  14. Rev. John Maynard (1799 – 1877). Matriculated 14 May 1817. Potential no. of associated claims: 4. Potential compensation value: £5070 0s 1d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 3, p. 935; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 212; UCL Profile – Rev. John Maynard
  15. John Marshall Collard (1802-1864). Matriculated 24 March 1820. Potential no. of associated claims: 2. Potential compensation value: £1202 8S 9d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 1, p. 277; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 67.
  16. Rev. John Hendrickson Laurence (1801 – 1836). Matriculated 18 May 1820. Potential no. of associated claims: 4. Potential compensation value: £3723 6s 7d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 3, p. 824; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 189; UCL Profile – Rev. John Hendrickson Laurence
  17. Captain James Massy-Dawson (1802 – 1837). Matriculated 2 May 1821. Potential no. of associated claims: 2. Potential compensation value: £8523 13s 7d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 1, p. 355; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 84; UCL Profile – Captain James Massy-Dawson
  18. Philip Lovell Phillips (1805 – 1869). Matriculated 18 February 1823. Potential no. of associated claims: 2. Potential compensation value: £8150 2s 4d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, V.3, p. 1109; Boase, Register, p. 252; UCL Profile – Philip Lovell Phillips
  19. Rev. John James Scott (1807 – 1890). Matriculated 05 February 1825. Potential no. of associated claims: 3. Potential compensation value: £7352 17s 7d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol.4, p. 1265; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 289; UCL Profile – Rev. John James Scott
  20. Hampden Clement (1808 -1880). Matriculated 08 March 1826. Potential no. of associated claims: 2. Potential compensation value: £9206 14S 5d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 1, p. 262; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 63; UCL Profile – Hampden Clement
  21. Alleyne Cox Yard (c.1809 – 1858). Matriculated 6 July 1827. Potential no. of associated claims: 3. Potential compensation value: £7410 8s 10d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, V.4, p. 1624; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 368.
  22. Rev. George Henry Cussans Scott (1811- 1887). Matriculated 11 Dec. 1828. Potential no. of associated claims: 3. Potential compensation value: £7352 17s 7d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 4, p. 1264; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 289; UCL Profile – Rev. George Henry Cussans Scott
  23. Rev. Thomas Yard (1811-?). Matriculated 4 March 1829. Potential no. of associated claims: 1. Potential compensation value: £1784 12s 11d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 4, p. 1624; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 368.
  24. John Morrison Myers (c.1817 – 1861). Matriculated 14 June 1834. Potential no. of associated claims: 1. Potential compensation value: £6 10s 4d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 3, p. 1003; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 226.
  25. Henry George Windsor – Aubrey (1826-1892). Matriculated 27 February 1845. Potential no. of associated claims: 5. Potential compensation value: £681 2s 4d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 1, p. 40; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 361; UCL Profile – Henry George Windsor
  26. William Henry Teschemaker (c.1829 – ?). Matriculated 2 Dec 1847. Potential no. of associated claims: unknown. Potential compensation value: unknown. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 4, p. 1401; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 318.
  27. John Pyefinch Thirlwall (c.1830-?). Matriculated 23 November 1848. Potential no. of associated claims: 5. Potential compensation value: £2260 5s 7d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 4, p. 1403; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 318.
  28. Thomas George Davy (1856-1908). Matriculated 10 March 1876. Potential no. of associated claims: 1. Potential compensation value: £2156 11S 1d. Foster, Alumni Oxonienses, vol. 1, p. 353; Boase, Register, vol. 2, p. 83.

Working Definition of Relationship

  1. Alumni who were the direct recipients of compensation through the Government’s reparation scheme of 1833 whilst matriculated at Exeter College.
  2. The payment of individual student fees to Exeter College as the result of profits generated by enslavement or enforced labour within the British Empire and its colonies.
  3. Exeter alumni with direct involvement or ties of kinship to colonial enslavement across two generations (parents and grandparents; parents and children).
  4. Donations, bequests, chattels or any other form of financial benefit received by the College from individuals with a connection to enslavement and/or coerced labour.
  5. Alumni (including those ties of kinship outlined above) with business interests in overseas colonies and/or with connections to a business or organisation which may have benefited from the proceeds of coerced labour.
  6. Alumni who both openly favoured or denounced the abolition movement.