Historians uncover more questions for insurers over their role in the slave trade

Academics are slowly piecing together the financial networks behind the transatlantic trafficking of ‘human cargo’

While the UK government is considering a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, Lloyd’s of London said it was “deeply sorry” six years ago. The historic insurance marketplace said it was deeply sorry for the “significant role” it played in the trafficking of enslaved people and for the enormous suffering caused. It has since installed a commemorative plaque at its London headquarters.

Perhaps more consequential was the research that followed. Through an independent collaboration with Johns Hopkins University in the US, researchers Alexandre White and Pyar Seth examined Lloyd’s archives.