Royal African Company, 1694-1743
These records are part of The National Archives' T 70 series, ‘Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading with Africa and successors’. They contain the names of thousands of individuals who travelled on board the Royal African Company's ships to and from Africa, as well as the names of those who lived and died at the numerous company forts.
Key facts
1694-1743
Date range
More than
1,400
Images
More than
55,000
Transcribed entries
Source
List of passengers from 1720 (The National Archives, T 70/1439)
About this series
The Royal African Company was a mercantile enterprise operating from 1660 until its dissolution in 1750. It was initially incorporated as the Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa, before being reconstituted in 1672 as the Royal African Company of England. The company held a monopoly over trade along the West African coast. Until the 1730s, its primary business was the transatlantic slave trade, in which it played a central role, transporting enslaved African men, women, and children to British colonies. Over several centuries, this system forcibly displaced millions of people. After years of campaigning for the abolition of slavery, the slave trade was abolished in Britain in 1807, and in most British colonies in 1833.
From its inception, the Royal African Company established forts and trading posts along the African coastline. Its headquarters were based at Cape Coast Castle on the Gold Coast (in present-day Ghana). The company brought with it a wide range of personnel (traders, merchants, miners, carpenters, native interpreters, and distillers, among others) to build and maintain these posts. This collection contains the names of thousands of British soldiers and company personnel who travelled to Africa in service of the company.
From Africa, the company exported enslaved men, women, and children to the colonies, as well as gold, ivory, and wax. After the Royal African Company lost its monopoly of the slave trade, it shifted its focus to the ivory and gold markets.
The Royal African Company was a mercantile enterprise operating from 1660 until its dissolution in 1750. It was initially incorporated as the Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa, before being reconstituted in 1672 as the Royal African Company of England. The company held a monopoly over trade along the West African coast. Until the 1730s, its primary business was the transatlantic slave trade, in which it played a central role, transporting enslaved African men, women, and children to British colonies. Over several centuries, this system forcibly displaced millions of people. After years of campaigning for the abolition of slavery, the slave trade was abolished in Britain in 1807, and in most British colonies in 1833.
From its inception, the Royal African Company established forts and trading posts along the African coastline. Its headquarters were based at Cape Coast Castle on the Gold Coast (in present-day Ghana). The company brought with it a wide range of personnel (traders, merchants, miners, carpenters, native interpreters, and distillers, among others) to build and maintain these posts. This collection contains the names of thousands of British soldiers and company personnel who travelled to Africa in service of the company.
From Africa, the company exported enslaved men, women, and children to the colonies, as well as gold, ivory, and wax. After the Royal African Company lost its monopoly of the slave trade, it shifted its focus to the ivory and gold markets.
Extract from the ‘List of Living and Dead at the Forts’ from 1720 (The National Archives, T 70/1447)
Highlights
‘Race’ field
‘Race’ field
Several records in this series contain racial categorisation for hundreds of the people mentioned in them. The terms used in these documents reflect attitudes and language at the time and are now considered derogatory and offensive. These terms reflect the seventeenth and eighteenth century’s practice of describing non-white European individuals as ‘black’, ‘negro’, or ‘mulatto’. Researchers may use the ‘browse race’ field to find those individuals identified in the transcripts as people of colour. Note that the spelling of ‘mulatto’, which is spelt in various different ways in the original records, has been standardised. The original records contain all three of the foregoing terms and, while the distinction between ‘black’ and ‘mulatto’ is generally adhered to, sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, and the same person may be described as ‘mulatto’ and ‘black’ or ’negro’ in different records. It is worth noting that not all people of colour are described as such, and sometimes the records are silent in this respect.
Several records in this series contain racial categorisation for hundreds of the people mentioned in them. The terms used in these documents reflect attitudes and language at the time and are now considered derogatory and offensive. These terms reflect the seventeenth and eighteenth century’s practice of describing non-white European individuals as ‘black’, ‘negro’, or ‘mulatto’. Researchers may use the ‘browse race’ field to find those individuals identified in the transcripts as people of colour. Note that the spelling of ‘mulatto’, which is spelt in various different ways in the original records, has been standardised. The original records contain all three of the foregoing terms and, while the distinction between ‘black’ and ‘mulatto’ is generally adhered to, sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, and the same person may be described as ‘mulatto’ and ‘black’ or ’negro’ in different records. It is worth noting that not all people of colour are described as such, and sometimes the records are silent in this respect.
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