Project Summary
The Church of England’s historical ties to slavery have come under increased scrutiny following the Church Commissioners’ recent investigation into Queen Anne’s Bounty and its connections to African chattel enslavement. In response, the Church has pledged £100 million towards a programme of repair. The CoERJU has been working alongside CSIS over the past year, to examine the Church’s role in slavery and its lasting impact, particularly on descendant communities. As part of this work, they have produced a webinar series, Truth-Telling: Slavery and the Anglican Church, ahead of the flagship international convening on this theme in June 2025.
This workshop series will expand on these conversations by critically exploring the deep historical ties between Anglican churches and the transatlantic slave trade in Liverpool—Europe’s leading port in the trafficking of enslaved Africans. Six creative consultants, recruited across the city, will investigate how these churches were embedded in the financial, social, and cultural structures that sustained enslavement through site visits, archival research, and creative expression.
What’s Involved?
Workshops will include visits to Liverpool Cathedral, the Bluecoat, and other historic Anglican churches, where participants will engage with historical records, exhibitions, and expert speakers to uncover hidden histories. A heritage walking tour will highlight Liverpool’s built environment as a reflection of its colonial past, while a practical session on digital and physical archives will introduce key research methods for exploring these histories. The series will culminate in a creative workshop, where participants will use the knowledge and skills gained to produce a creative response to the history of slavery and the Church of England. This work will contribute to ongoing discussions around racial justice, memory, and repair, within the Church and beyond, fostering deeper public engagement with Liverpool’s colonial legacies.
Our team of creative consultants will:
- Learn from historians, artists, and activists about Liverpool’s history, enslavement, and the Anglican Church
- Use art, writing, performance, or digital media to tell stories about this history in new and engaging ways
- Visit churches, heritage sites, and online archives to uncover hidden histories
- Work as a team to produce a final creative output, as part of the wider Truth-Telling project
- Gain new skills in historical research, communication, and creative expression
- Discover more about careers in historical research and opportunities for postgraduate funding
- Be part of a pioneering project on racial justice and Liverpool’s history
- Contribute towards shaping conversations around the Anglican Church and transatlantic slavery
Additional Resources
If you would like to learn more about ongoing research into the history of the Anglican Church’s involvement in slavery and Liverpool’s broader colonial legacies, we have compiled a list of key resources that provide further insight into these important topics.
- Desiree Baptiste and Jon Ungoed Thomas, “Revealed: How Church of England’s ties to chattel slavery went to top of hierarchy”, The Guardian (25 May 2024).
- Natricia Duncan, “Anglican group launches £7m project in Barbados to atone for slavery atrocities”, The Guardian (6 September 2024).
- Desiree Baptiste and Jon Ungoed Thomas, “Beatings, brandings, suicides: life on plantations owned by Church of England missionary arm”, The Guardian (25 May 2024).
- Liverpool Cathedral Presents ‘Slavery & Repentance’ Photography Exhibition (March 2024).
- Community-led Research and Display Project on the Colonial Legacies of the Liverpool Sandbach Family
- Carving Out Truths Exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery
- Bluecoat Colonial Legacies Project
- Malik Al Nasir, “Searching for my Slave Roots”, BBC News (July 2020).
- Patrick Edrich, “Monument in churchyard tells sad story of Liverpool’s first known black resident”, Liverpool Echo (22 August 2023).
- Lucy Moynihan and Michelle Girvan, “Liverpool Institutions and their Legacies of Slavery: A Collaborative Approach” (4 March 2024).