A British Crown symbol was branded on enslaved Africans, according to research carried out as part of a project examining Britain’s involvement in the slave trade.
The findings relate to a wider effort to document British participation in the trafficking and enslavement of African people between the 16th and 19th centuries. The research identifies the use of a Crown mark on enslaved Africans, linking the symbol of British royal authority to practices within the slave trade during that period.
The project is focused on recording evidence of Britain’s role across several centuries, a period in which enslaved Africans were transported, sold and exploited through systems connected to European colonial and commercial power.
The finding adds to the documented record of British involvement in slavery by highlighting the use of an official national symbol in the treatment and identification of enslaved people.
No further details were provided in the supplied material about where the branding took place, who authorised or carried it out, or the specific records on which the finding is based. The research forms part of ongoing work to catalogue and explain Britain’s historic links to the slave trade.
