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Statue of Edward Colston

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Statue of Edward Colston
Larger than lifesize bronze statue of man in period clothes, standing with one hand on a staff, the other raised to his chin. It is on a white stone pedestal with inscription Edward Colston Born 1636 Died 1721", and bronze inscribed plaques below. Large bronze dolphins are on each corner of the base. It is in an urban setting with a large tree behind and above it.
The statue in 2019
ArtistJohn Cassidy
Completion date13 November 1895; 129 years ago (1895-11-13)
MediumBronze
SubjectEdward Colston
ConditionFigure toppled, damaged and removed; plinth defaced by demonstrators
LocationBristol, England
Coordinates
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameStatue of Edward Colston
Designated4 March 1979
Reference no.1202137

The statue of Edward Colston is a bronze statue of Bristol-born merchant Edward Colston (1636–1721), originally erected in The Centre in Bristol, England. Created in 1895 by sculptor John Cassidy on a Portland stone plinth, it was designated a Grade II listed structure in 1977.

The statue has been subject to increasing controversy since the 1990s, when Colston's prior reputation as a philanthropist has come under scrutiny due to his involvement in the Atlantic slave trade. On 7 June 2020, the statue was toppled, defaced, and pushed into Bristol Harbour by George Floyd protests for the Black Lives Matter movement. The plinth was also covered in graffiti, but remains in place. The statue was recovered from the harbour and put into safe storage by Bristol City Council on 11 June.

Description

Detail of one of the dolphins

In its original state the monument consisted of a bronze statue of Colston on a plinth of Portland stone adorned with bronze plaques and figures of dolphins. Of the four plaques‍—‌one on each face of the plinth‍—‌three are relief sculptures in an Art Nouveau style: two of these show scenes from Colston's life and the third shows a maritime fantasy. The plaque on the south face bears the words "Erected by citizens of Bristol as a memorial of one of the most virtuous and wise sons of their city AD 1895" and "John Cassidy fecit" (John Cassidy made this).[1]

Background

Edward Colston

Main article: Edward Colston

Colston was a Bristol-born merchant who made the bulk of his fortune from the slave trade, particularly between 1680 and 1692. He was an active member of the Royal African Company, and was briefly deputy governor in 1689–90. During his tenure, the Company transported over 84,000 slaves from West Africa to the Americas.[2] Colston used his wealth to provide financial support to almshouses, hospitals, schools, workhouses and churches throughout England, particularly in his home city of Bristol.[3] He represented Bristol as its Member of Parliament from 1710–13.[4] Upon his death, he left much of his wealth to charities.[5] In the 19th century he was seen as a philanthropist.[3] The fact that much of his fortune was made in the slave trade was largely ignored until the 1990s.[1]

Statue

The statue, designed by John Cassidy, was erected in the area now known as The Centre in 1895, to commemorate Edward Colston's philanthropy.[6][7] It was proposed by James Arrowsmith, the president of the Anchor Society. Several appeals to the public and to Colston-related charitable bodies, over the course of a two-year fundraising effort, raised £650, less than the amount needed for its casting and erection. The remaining balance, £150, was given by an anonymous donor.[8][9] Alumni of Colston's School were also invited to participate. The statue was unveiled by the mayor and the bishop of Bristol on 13 November 1895, a date which had been known for some time in the city as "Colston Day".[9] Further funds were raised after the unveiling, including funds from the Society of Merchant Venturers.[9]

On 4 March 1977 it was designated as a Grade II listed structure. The reasons given for designation were:

A handsome statue, erected in the late C19 to commemorate a late C17 figure; the resulting contrast of styles is handled with confidence. The statue is of particular historical interest, the subject being Edward Colston, Bristol's most famous philanthropist, now also noted for his involvement in the slave trade. Group value with other Bristol memorials: a statue of Edmund Burke, the Cenotaph, and a drinking fountain commemorating the Industrial and Fine Art Exhibition of 1893.

— Historic England[1]

Controversy

Art installation, showing figures representing slaves on a ship, during Anti-Slavery Day 2018

The statue had become controversial by the end of the 20th century, as Colston's activities as a major slave trader became more widely known.[10] H. J. Wilkins, who in 1920 uncovered his slave-trading activities, commented that "we cannot picture him justly except against his historical background".[11][12] Colston's involvement in the slave trade predated the abolition movement in Britain, and was during the time when "slavery was generally condoned in England—indeed, throughout Europe—by churchmen, intellectuals and the educated classes".[13]

From the 1990s onwards,[14] campaigns and petitions called for the removal of the statue, describing it as a disgrace.[15] In 1998, "SLAVE TRADER" was scrawled on its base.[14]

In a 2014 poll in the local newspaper, the Bristol Post, 56% of the 1,100 respondents said it should stay while 44% wanted it to go.[16] Others called for a memorial plaque honouring the victims of slavery to be fitted to his statue. Bristol's first elected mayor, George Ferguson, stated on Twitter in 2013 that "Celebrations for Colston are perverse, not something I shall be taking part in!"[17] In 2018, Thangam Debbonaire, Labour MP for Bristol West, wrote to Bristol City Council calling for the removal of the statue.[15][18] A petition to remove the statue had garnered more than 11,000 signatures.[19]

An unofficial art installation appeared in front of the statue on 18 October 2018 to mark Anti-Slavery Day in the UK. It depicted about a hundred supine figures arranged as on a slave ship, lying as if they were cargo, surrounded by a border listing jobs typically done by modern-day slaves such as 'fruit picker' and 'nail bar worker'; it remained for some months.[20][21] Another artistic intervention saw a ball and chain attached to the statue.[22]

Rewording

In July 2018, Bristol City Council, which was responsible for the statue, made a planning application to add a second plaque which would "add to the public knowledge about Colston" including his philanthropy and his involvement in slave trading, though the initial wording suggested came in for significant criticism and re-wording took place.[23][24]

The initial wording of the second plaque mentioned Colston's role in the slave trade, brief tenure as a Tory MP for Bristol, and criticised his philanthropy as religiously selective:

As a high official of the Royal African Company from 1680 to 1692, Edward Colston played an active role in the enslavement of over 84,000 Africans (including 12,000 children) of whom over 19,000 died en route to the Caribbean and America. Colston also invested in the Spanish slave trade and in slave-produced sugar. As Tory MP for Bristol (1710-1713), he defended the city’s ‘right’ to trade in enslaved Africans. Bristolians who did not subscribe to his religious and political beliefs were not permitted to benefit from his charities.[25]

The Society of Merchant Venturers, an organisation of which Colston was a member, objected to the wording and a Bristol Conservative councillor called it "revisionist" and "historically illiterate".[23]

A second version, co-written by an associate professor of history at the University of Bristol, was proposed by the council in 2018, giving a brief description of Colston's philanthropy, role in the slave trade, and time as an MP, while noting that he was now considered controversial. This wording was edited by a former curator at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, creating a third proposal that was backed by the Bristol Civic Society.[24] However, this wording was criticised by Madge Dresser, the historian behind the second proposal, as a "sanitised" version of history, arguing the wording minimised Colston's role, omitted the number of child slaves and focused on West Africans as the original enslavers. It was also reported that the third version had been written by a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers.[24] In June 2020 the Society of Merchant Venturers stated it was 'inappropriate' for the society to get involved in the rewording of the plaque in 2018.[26] A final version of the wording with further changes was eventually agreed on and a bronze plaque was cast with wording as follows:

Edward Colston (1636–1721), MP for Bristol (1710–1713), was one of this city's greatest benefactors. He supported and endowed schools, almshouses, hospitals and churches in Bristol, London and elsewhere. Many of his charitable foundations continue. This statue was erected in 1895 to commemorate his philanthropy. A significant proportion of Colston's wealth came from investments in slave trading, sugar and other slave-produced goods. As an official of the Royal African Company from 1680 to 1692, he was also involved in the transportation of approximately 84,000 enslaved African men, women and young children, of whom 19,000 died on voyages from West Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas.

However, after the plaque was cast, its installation was vetoed in March 2019 by Bristol's mayor, Marvin Rees, who criticised the role of the Society of Merchant Venturers in creating the wording. A statement from the mayor's office called the final wording "unacceptable", claimed that Rees had not been consulted and promised to continue work on a second plaque.[27]

Toppling and removal

Street map of central Bristol with a red line showing the route from original location south towards the western edge of the harbour
Original location of the statue, and site of its dumping in the Harbour

On 7 June 2020, during the global protests following the killing of George Floyd in the United States,[28] the statue was pulled down by demonstrators who then jumped on it.[19] They daubed it in red and blue paint, and one protester placed his knee on the statue's neck, recalling the African-American Floyd's death under a knee of a white policeman.[28][29] The statue was then rolled down Anchor Road and pushed into Bristol Harbour.[19][30][31]

Superintendent Andy Bennett of Avon and Somerset Police stated that they had made a "tactical decision" not to intervene and had allowed the statue to be toppled, citing a concern that stopping the act could have led to further violence and a riot.[19][32] They also stated that the act was criminal damage and confirmed that there would be an investigation to identify those involved, adding that they were in the process of collating footage of the incident.[33][34] The next day, the police stated that they had identified 17 people in connection with the incident, but have not yet made any arrests.[35] On 22 June the police released images of people connected to the incident, and asked the public for help identifying the individuals.[36] As of 22 June, no arrests have been made.

Reaction

On 7 June, the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, called the toppling "utterly disgraceful", "completely unacceptable" and "sheer vandalism". She added, "it speaks to the acts of public disorder that have become a distraction from the cause people are protesting about."[37][38] The Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said those comments showed an "absolute lack of understanding".[39]

On 8 June Mayor Rees said that the statue was an affront, and he felt no "sense of loss [at its removal]," but that the statue would be retrieved and it was "highly likely that the Colston statue will end up in one of our museums."[40] The historian and television presenter David Olusoga commented that the statue should have been taken down earlier, saying: "Statues are about saying 'this was a great man who did great things'. That is not true, he [Colston] was a slave trader and a murderer."[30]

Superintendent Andy Bennett also stated he understood that Colston was "a historical figure that's caused the black community quite a lot of angst over the last couple of years", adding: "Whilst I am disappointed that people would damage one of our statues, I do understand why it's happened, it's very symbolic."[19]

The pedestal is seen with purple spraypaint graffiti "BLM" over two of the bronze plaques and black "Black Lives Matter" and stencilled raised fists on the plinth. Placards propped on the pedestal include "Black Lives Matter", "Silence is Violence", "The UK is not innocent" and "In unity is strength". Many more placards lie on the ground around the pedestal, with "Black Lives Matter","Racism is a global pandemic" and other slogans.
The empty pedestal, showing placards and graffiti

Rees made a statement suggesting that "it's important to listen to those who found the statue to represent an affront to humanity and make the legacy of today about the future of our city, tackling racism and inequality. I call on everyone to challenge racism and inequality in every corner of our city and wherever we see it."[41] In an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy, he said, "We have a statue of someone who made their money by throwing our people into water ... and now he's on the bottom of the water."[42] In a separate interview, Rees commented that the statue would probably be retrieved from the harbour "at some point", and could end up in a city museum.[39] Rees confirmed that placards left by protesters will be put on display at M Shed museum in Bristol.[43]

A spokesperson for Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, said that he "absolutely understands the strength of feeling" but insisted that the democratic process should have been followed, and that police should hold responsible those involved in the criminal act.[39][44] Johnson's critical remarks referred solely to the removal of the statue, and were accompanied by condemnation of racism.[45]

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the way the statue had been pulled down was "completely wrong" but it should have been removed "a long, long time ago". He added "You can't, in 21st Century Britain, have a slaver on a statue. That statue should have been brought down properly, with consent, and put in a museum".[39][46]

The Society of Merchant Venturers, in a statement on 12 June, said that "the fact that it [the statue] has gone is right for Bristol. To build a city where racism and inequality no longer exist, we must start by acknowledging Bristol’s dark past and removing statues, portraits and names that memorialise a man who benefitted from trading in human lives."[26]

Subsequent events

In what a local councillor believed was retaliation, the headstone and footstone for the slave Scipio Africanus were vandalised in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, Henbury, on 17 June. The attacker broke one of the stones in two and scrawled a warning to "put Colston's statue back or things will really heat up."[47]

Following the toppling of the statue, a similar monument to Robert Milligan, the slave-factor largely responsible for the construction of the West India Docks, was removed peacefully after opposition in east London.[48][49] On 9 June 2020, the same day as Tower Hamlets council had the statue of Robert Milligan taken down, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called for London statues and street names with links to slavery to be removed or renamed. Khan set up the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to review London's landmarks.[50]

After the statue was removed, a petition began to have a statue of Paul Stephenson erected in its place.[51] The former Bristol youth worker is a black man who was instrumental in the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott, inspired by the US Montgomery bus boycott, which brought an end to a then-legal employment colour ban in Bristol bus companies.[52]

Retrieval and storage

File:Statue of Edward Colston - Retrieved.jpg
Statue in storage after retrival

At 5am on 11 June 2020, the statue was retrieved from Bristol harbour by Bristol City Council, who plan to clean it to prevent corrosion, and then exhibit it in a museum without removing the graffiti and ropes placed on it by the protesters.[53][54] Whilst cleaning mud from the statue, M Shed discovered an 1895 issue of Tit-Bits magazine containing a handwritten date, 26 October 1895, and the names of those who originally fitted the statue.[55][56][57]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Historic England. "Statue of Edward Colston (1202137)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  2. ^ "COLSTON, Edward II (1636-1721), of Mortlake, Surr. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b Morgan, Kenneth (September 2004). "Colston, Edward". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  4. ^ "BBC - History - British History in depth: The Business of Enslavement". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  5. ^ Parkes, Pamela (8 June 2020). "The city divided by a slave trader's legacy". BBC News. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Edward Colston". PMSA National Recording Project. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
  7. ^ Saner, Emine (29 April 2017). "Renamed and shamed: taking on Britain's slave-trade past, from Colston Hall to Penny Lane". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  8. ^ Latimer, John (1901). The Annals of Bristol in the Nineteenth Century. p. 46.
  9. ^ a b c Ball, Roger (14 October 2019). "Myths within myths…Edward Colston and that statue". Bristol Radical History Group. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  10. ^ Foyle, Andrew (2004). Bristol-Pevsner Architectural Guides. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. p. 125. ISBN 0-300-10442-1.
  11. ^ Wilkins, H. J. (1920). Edward Colston (1636–1721 A.D.), a chronological account of his life and work. Bristol: J. W. Arrowsmith.
  12. ^ Ball, Roger. "Edward Colston Research Paper #2". Bristol Radical History Group. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  13. ^ Morgan, Kenneth (1999). Edward Colston and Bristol. Bristol: Bristol Branch of the Historical Association. p. 18.
  14. ^ a b Hochschild, Adam (2006). Bury the Chains. New York City: Mariner Books. p. 15.
  15. ^ a b Grubb, Sophie (5 June 2020). "'It's a disgrace' – Thousands call for removal of controversial Bristol statue". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  16. ^ Gallagher, Paul (22 June 2014). "Bristol torn apart over statue of Edward Colston: But is this a figure of shame or a necessary monument to the history of slavery?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  17. ^ Koch, Emily (30 August 2013). "Bristol mayor: City's celebration of Edward Colston is perverse". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  18. ^ "MP calls for slave trader statue removal". BBC News. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  19. ^ a b c d e Siddique, Haroon (7 June 2020). "BLM protesters topple statue of Bristol slave trader Edward Colston". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  20. ^ Cork, Tristan (18 October 2018). "100 human figures placed in front of Colston statue in city centre". Bristol Live. Local World. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  21. ^ "Anti Slavery Art Installation by Colston Statue in Bristol • Inspiring City". Inspiring City. 22 October 2018. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  22. ^ Yong, Michael. "Ball and chain attached to Edward Colston's statue in Bristol city centre". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  23. ^ a b Cork, Tristan (23 July 2018). "Theft of second Colston plaque 'may be justified' says councillor". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  24. ^ a b c Cork, Tristan (23 August 2018). "Row breaks out as Merchant Venturer accused of 'sanitising' Edward Colston's involvement in slave trade". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  25. ^ Cork, Tristan (22 July 2018). "The wording of second plaque proposed for Edward Colston statue linking him to 20,000 deaths". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  26. ^ a b "Statement from the Society of Merchant Venturers". merchantventurers.com. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  27. ^ Cork, Tristan (25 March 2019). "Second Colston statue plaque not axed but mayor orders re-write". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  28. ^ a b "Protesters in England topple statue of slave trader Edward Colston into harbor". CBS News. 7 June 2020. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  29. ^ Zaks, Dmitry (8 June 2020). "UK slave trader's statue toppled in anti-racism protests". The Jakarta Post. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  30. ^ a b "George Floyd death: Protesters tear down slave trader statue". BBC News. 7 June 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  31. ^ Sullivan, Rory (7 June 2020). "Black Lives Matter protesters pull down statue of 17th century UK slave trader". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  32. ^ Evans, Martin (8 June 2020). "Intervening to prevent toppling of Colston statue could have sparked a riot, says Chief Constable". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  33. ^ Avon and Somerset Police [@ASPolice] (7 June 2020). "Statement from Bristol Area Commander Superintendent Andy Bennett following Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bristol" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ Max Foster; Nada Bashir; Rob Picheta; Susannah Cullinane. "UK protesters topple slave trader statue". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  35. ^ "Johnson urges peaceful struggle against racism". BBC News. 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  36. ^ "Appeal to identify Colston statue protesters". BBC News. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  37. ^ "Priti Patel: Toppling Edward Colston statue 'utterly disgraceful'". Sky News. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  38. ^ "Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol pull down and throw statue of 17th-century slave trader into river". The Independent. 7 June 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  39. ^ a b c d "Edward Colston: Bristol slave trader statue 'was an affront'". BBC News. 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  40. ^ King, Jasper (8 June 2020). "Edward Colston statue: Mayor gives update on statue's future". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  41. ^ Grimshaw, Emma (7 June 2020). "Mayor Marvin Rees issues statement on the Black Lives Matter protest and the toppling of Colston's statue". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  42. ^ Guru-Murthy, Krishnan (7 June 2020). ""We have a statue of someone who made their money by throwing our people into water...and now he's on the bottom of the water." – Marvin Rees, elected Mayor of Bristol". Channel 4 News. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  43. ^ "Black Lives Matter: the world responds after Bristol protesters tear down statue of slave trader Edward Colston". ITV News. 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020.
  44. ^ Neilan, Cat (8 June 2020). "Politics latest news: Prime Minister 'absolutely understands strength of feeling' but toppling statue still criminal act". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  45. ^ "George Floyd: Boris Johnson urges peaceful struggle against racism". BBC News. 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  46. ^ Walker, Peter (8 June 2020). "Keir Starmer: pulling down Edward Colston statue was wrong". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  47. ^ "Enslaved African man's headstone vandalised". BBC News. 18 June 2020.
  48. ^ Mason, Rowena; Pidd, Helen (9 June 2020). "Labour councils launch slavery statue review as another is removed". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  49. ^ "Robert Milligan: Slave trader statue removed from outside London museum". BBC News. 9 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  50. ^ "London statues with slavery links 'should be taken down'". BBC News. 9 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  51. ^ Ross, Alex (7 June 2020). "Petition calls for statue of Bristol civil rights activist Paul Stephenson to be erected in Colston's place". Bristol Live. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  52. ^ Webb, Elizabeth (7 October 2019). "The Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963". Black History 365. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  53. ^ "Edward Colston statue pulled out of Bristol Harbour". BBC News. 11 June 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  54. ^ "Images released as part of Colston statue investigation". Avon and Somerset Police. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  55. ^ M Shed [@mshedbristol] (11 June 2020). "We ended up with two surprise additions. Firstly a bicycle tyre which emerged from the harbour with the statue, and then the discovery of a clue to the people who first installed it in Bristol: A 1895 magazine rolled up inside the coat tails" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020 – via Twitter.
  56. ^ M Shed [@mshedbristol] (11 June 2020). "After careful cleaning and drying we found someone had handwritten the names of those who originally fitted the statue and the date on the inside pages" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020 – via Twitter.
  57. ^ Brewis, Harriet (12 June 2020). "125-year-old magazine found hidden inside toppled Colston statue". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
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