Scotlands hidden involvement in the slave trade

[dee1ite]

I was quite shocked, when I read the article below. I was aware that many people of Jamaican descent, had Scottish surnames. But was unaware of the major part Scotland played in the slave trade. I would appreciate your thoughts and comments on the matter.

Why Are So Many of Our Surnames Scottish?
08-12-2008


BLACK PEOPLE with Scottish surnames, as a result of their ancestors being enslaved by Scots, should be on the guest list of next year’s 250th birthday party for Scots’ hero Robert Burns, says a leading academic.

Geoff Palmer, professor emeritus of Heriot-Watt University, has hit out at Scotland’s government for failing to include the descendants of Scottish slave owners in the planned celebrations.

He is now urging ministers to spend part of Homecoming Scotland’s £5 million budget on wooing African Caribbean people with Scottish heritage to the huge event of more than 200 shows.

‘I have a Jamaican telephone directory and I would say about 60 per cent of the names in it are Scottish,’ says Prof Palmer, who was born in a tough downtown district in Kingston, Jamaica.

Prof Palmer said his mother’s maiden name was Lamond and added many West Indians wanted to know more about their Scottish heritage.

He said Article 4 of the 25 Articles of the Union of 1707 gave Scotland permission to trade not only with the rest of Britain but with the ‘dominions and plantations’.

By 1800, Scots dominated the physical and financial management of slavery in British slave islands such as Jamaica.

In 1786, Burns brought his ticket to sail to Jamaica to be, in his own words, a ‘slave driver’. In addition, he wrote: ‘Will ye go to the Indies, my Mary’ to Highland Mary and ‘Ae fond kiss’ to cheer up his other lady friend Clarinda as she sailed to visit her slave-master husband in Jamaica.

‘Burns is part of Jamaica’s history: we are part of the Scottish Diaspora,’ said Prof Palmer. ‘They cannot change history and we might not like
what they have done to us, but we cannot change history either.

‘This event is being marketed in Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Why are they not inviting people from Jamaica with Scottish names?

[Polwarth]

Originally Posted by dee1ite

I was quite shocked, when I read the article below. I was aware that many people of Jamaican descent, had Scottish surnames. But was unaware of the major part Scotland played in the slave trade. I would appreciate your thoughts and comments on the matter.

Why Are So Many of Our Surnames Scottish?
08-12-2008


BLACK PEOPLE with Scottish surnames, as a result of their ancestors being enslaved by Scots, should be on the guest list of next year’s 250th birthday party for Scots’ hero Robert Burns, says a leading academic.

Geoff Palmer, professor emeritus of Heriot-Watt University, has hit out at Scotland’s government for failing to include the descendants of Scottish slave owners in the planned celebrations.

He is now urging ministers to spend part of Homecoming Scotland’s £5 million budget on wooing African Caribbean people with Scottish heritage to the huge event of more than 200 shows.

‘I have a Jamaican telephone directory and I would say about 60 per cent of the names in it are Scottish,’ says Prof Palmer, who was born in a tough downtown district in Kingston, Jamaica.

Prof Palmer said his mother’s maiden name was Lamond and added many West Indians wanted to know more about their Scottish heritage.

He said Article 4 of the 25 Articles of the Union of 1707 gave Scotland permission to trade not only with the rest of Britain but with the ‘dominions and plantations’.

By 1800, Scots dominated the physical and financial management of slavery in British slave islands such as Jamaica.

In 1786, Burns brought his ticket to sail to Jamaica to be, in his own words, a ‘slave driver’. In addition, he wrote: ‘Will ye go to the Indies, my Mary’ to Highland Mary and ‘Ae fond kiss’ to cheer up his other lady friend Clarinda as she sailed to visit her slave-master husband in Jamaica.

‘Burns is part of Jamaica’s history: we are part of the Scottish Diaspora,’ said Prof Palmer. ‘They cannot change history and we might not like
what they have done to us, but we cannot change history either.

‘This event is being marketed in Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Why are they not inviting people from Jamaica with Scottish names?

Cynically... perhaps because they are not a large group and may be perceived to have little commercial benefit, ie they may come from families too poor to spare the money to come to Scotland and SPEND like Americans/Canadians/Australians?

[Duthill]

I notice that there is no mention in the artical of the thousands of Scots who were transported to the Caribbean , either kidnapped and sold into slavery , or as military slaves.
That is where most of the folks in the West Indies get their Scots names from , rather than from the relatively few slave holders of Scots ancestry.

The same can be said of the other Celtic names in the Caribbean.

[ScottishGirl123]

Yes, some slaves were of Scottish descent. But some just simply had taken the name of the plantation owner. We welcome Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders and Australians who have our descent yes.
It may be we still feel guilt for our involvement in the slave trade. I dont know but if West Indian people want to know more about their surnames then they should be involved. But some may not have any actual links to Scotland as they have just taken the surname, but visitors to Scotland are always welcome.

[Duthill]

Originally Posted by ScottishGirl123

Yes, some slaves were of Scottish descent. But some just simply had taken the name of the plantation owner. We welcome Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders and Australians who have our descent yes.
It may be we still feel guilt for our involvement in the slave trade. I dont know but if West Indian people want to know more about their surnames then they should be involved. But some may not have any actual links to Scotland as they have just taken the surname, but visitors to Scotland are always welcome.

The 'slaves took the master's name' myth is just that, a myth , in most instances .
If you are going to put that theory forward , back it up with fact.
Names , dates , places , etc.

[aNonnyMoose]

Originally Posted by ScottishGirl123

It may be we still feel guilt for our involvement in the slave trade.

Sorry, I've never understood why I should feel any guilt whatsoever for things that happened 300 years before I was born. Anger, perhaps, but guilt - no, not in the slightest.

Have you ever noticed that when people try to make you feel guilty, they usually want money from you? See various christian churches, etc...

Scotland was one of the first countries to oppose the slave trade, which is something to be more positive about. The slave trade continues today, mainly in Muslim areas. But because it's not PC to mention it, no-one does...
Google for it.

[Duthill]

dee1ite ,


I find the title of this tread both misleading , and untrue.

First , the pasted article re. slavery is about the Americas , and people with Scottish family names .
None of the slavery mentioned was in Scotland , so it has nothing to so with Scotland itself .

And second , I know of no instance where Scotland has officially , or unofficially, denied that people of Scots nationality , or ancestry , were involved on any business practices connected with slavery .
Given that it is relatively common knowledge that the major ports of Britain were host to international trade , and that Scotland had some major ports , and that a proportion of that trade was the fruit of slavery , what has been hidden in that regard ?

As to placing the blame for any of this on the nation of Scotland , and it's people , that is patently ridiculous .
Scotland as a sovereign entity , has not existed since 1707, and since then it has been , at best , a junior partner , in the political union.

I point this out , not in an attempt to absolve Scotland and Scots the world over , past and present , from any blame , real or imagined , for the trafficking and forced labour of human beings ,
but to point out to you , dee1ite , the dangers of being so irresponsible as to start a thread without doing basic research about a situation before posting.