Plaques explaining slave trade links will be added to Guildhall statues of William Beckford and Sir John Cass: Theologian descended from one of their slaves slams ‘moral failure’ of not removing monument

Two statues paying homage to prominent City of London figures William Beckford and Sir John Cass are set to have plaques fixed to them to explain their links to slavery.

The City of London Corporation’s Policy and Resources Committee had voted in 2021 to remove them from their historic Guildhall headquarters.

But officials then opted to keep the statues and instead install plaques to explain how the two men were involved in the slave trade.

Now, the corporation has been granted planning permission to fix a plaque to Beckford’s statue early next year.

A plaque will also be added to the depiction of Cass, but planning permission is not needed because it does not reside in the Grade I listed Great Hall.

However, the decision to keep the statue of Beckford has been slammed by a theologian whose descendants were enslaved by him.

Writing in The Guardian, Robert Beckford branded the move a ‘moral failure’, saying it ‘underplays the radical evil of slavery’s racial capitalism and its continuing destructive consequences for people racialised as Black.’ 

Beckford was a two-time Lord Mayor of London in the late 1700s who accrued wealth from 13 sugar plantations in Jamaica that were made productive by 3,000 slaves.

He had inherited large sums of money from his grandfather Peter Beckford, who had originally established the family’s plantations.  

And Cass was a merchant, MP and philanthropist active in the 17th and 18th centuries.

He also profited from the slave trade due to the fact he held shares in the Royal African Company.

With money from his will, trustees set up Sir John Cass’s Foundation to support education in London in 1748.

His charity funded the Sir John Cass Foundation School. Through a series of moves and mergers this became part of the City of London Polytechnic – now London Metropolitan University.

The City of London Corporation’s Policy and Resources Committee initially recommended the two statues’ removal in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.  

But then a new statues working group rejected the plan and said they should stay.

The City has since worked with Culture&, an arts and heritage charity, to commission designers, writers, poets and an inter-generational panel to decide how to update the statues.

But, airing his criticism of the decision to keep the Cass statue where it stands, Mr Beckford wrote: ‘To me – a descendant of the people he enslaved – the decision feels like a moral failure.’

He added: ‘As a Jamaican-British man and a descendant of those whom Beckford exploited and murdered, I believe that leaving the statue in a prestigious place, even with a note of explanation, is morally reprehensible. 

‘Or, in the words of my Jamaican grandparents, it is “devilish”.’ 

Munsur Ali, the chair of the City Corporation’s culture, heritage and libraries committee, said: ‘Whether cast in lead or sculpted in marble, the statues to Beckford and Cass signify a deeply shameful period in the City’s history.

‘My colleagues at Guildhall are working closely with many talented individuals and organisations to ensure that this project is handled very sensitively and that, no matter how we try to contextualise this period in our history, these two men’s actions are called out and condemned in the strongest possible terms.’

City Corporation policy chairman Chris Hayward added: ‘This is the next step in our journey in addressing, in an open and honest way, the City of London’s historic involvement in the horrific slave trade.

‘We have been reflecting upon, and recognising, this terrible chapter in our history, and we are united in our commitment to ensuring that people from all backgrounds feel safe and welcome in a modern, inclusive and forward-looking City.’

Dr Errol Francis, the artistic director of Culture&, said: ‘It has been an honour to work with City Corporation representatives, and the designers, fabricators, poets, writers, and the intergenerational panel to make this important project happen.

‘We look forward to the unveiling of the plaques when the public can gain a better understanding of the historic links of the City of London with the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans.’

William Beckford and Sir John Cass: The two men whose statues are set to have plaques added to explain their slave trade links

William Beckford 

William Beckford – often referred to as Alderman Beckford to distinguish him from his novelist son of the same name – was a well-known political figure in the 18th century.

A vastly wealthy man, he twice served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1762 and 1769.

But his and his family’s fortunes were built off the back of slavery in Jamaica.

His grandfather, Colonel Peter Beckford, left England for the Caribbean island in search of wealth.

Peter later became the acting Governor of Jamaica in 1702 and reputedly owned 20 Jamaican estates, 1,200 enslaved Africans and left £1,5million in bank stock when he died in 1710.

The vast majority of his fortune passed to his eldest son – also named Peter Beckford – who was William’s father. It later passed to William – who was Peter’s sole surviving legitimate son.

William, who was born in Jamaica in 1709 and educated in England, inherited 13 sugar plantations after his father’s death.

When William’s brother died in 1712, the number of enslaved Africans he owned grew to 3,000.

On one of his plantations, in 1760, a rebellion took place and over 400 enslaved Africans were killed and many others brutally punished. It is said that the leader of the uprising was burnt alive.

Back in England, William pursued a life in politics and became an Alderman of London, Sheriff of London and twice Lord Mayor of London.

In 1770 he famously supported the MP John Wilkes in a speech representing the rights of the mercantile man to King George III.

He was considered a hero among political reformers for the speech. William died that year and a statue celebrating his career was placed in London’s Guildhall.   

William’s son, also named William, would become a famous writer, remembered for his Gothic novel Vathek.

Alderman Beckford’s contribution to the slave trade has recently been highlighted following the Black Lives Matter campaign last Summer.

The City of London Corporation’s Policy and Resources Committee has now voted to remove him from their historic Guildhall headquarters.

Sir John Cass

Sir John Cass was a merchant, builder and Tory MP who lived between 1661 and 1718.

He was the founder of a mixed school in London and posthumously his wealth was used to set up Sir John Cass’s Foundation – which still provides funding for a number of schools and educational projects in London.

But his legacy as a philanthropist has been brought into question in recent years due to his contribution to the African slave trade.  

In 1705 Cass became a member of the court of assistants – essentially a board member – of the Royal African Company.  

The company shipped more African slaves to the Americas than any other institution in the history of the Atlantic slave trade.

Cass held shares in the Royal African Company until his death in 1718.

During his life he served as a Tory MP for the City of London from 1710 to 1715 and was also elected a Sheriff of London. 

He founded a mixed school for 90 students in the buildings in the churchyard of St Botolph’s Aldgate in 1709.

With money from his will, trustees set up Sir John Cass’s Foundation to support education in London in 1748.

His charity funded the Sir John Cass Foundation School. Through a series of moves and mergers this became part of the City of London Polytechnic – now London Metropolitan University.

In June 2020, Professor Lynn Dobbs, Vice-Chancellor of London Metropolitan University announced that the name of Cass would be removed from their Art, Architecture and Design School. 

The modern Sir John Cass’s Foundation still provides funding for a number of schools in London, including some that have Cass’s name. 

The Sir John Cass Redcoat School announced it would be changing its name to remove the reference to Cass, due to his connections with the slave trade. It is now Stepney All Saints School in August 2020.

Bosses at the Sir John Cass’s Foundation have also committed to changing its name in the future.

Sources: BeckfordsTower.org and Sir John Cass’s Foundation