The city of Aberdeen has a long and torrid history of involvement in the Atlantic Slave Trade. This was seen both through direct ownership of enslaved peoples or infrastructure built with money derived from the trade. Numerous Aberdeen graduates were also tied to the trade. Here, The Gaudie reflects on the university’s involvement and takes a look at parts of the city built on the backs of enslaved peoples.
Gilbert Ramsey
In the College Bounds building of the University there hangs a portrait of Gilbert Ramsey. Ramsey graduated from Marischal college in 1674 before being ordained as a Minister in the Episcopalian Church in 1686. The Episcopalian Church did not oppose the slave trade, aruging it was a political issue instead of a moral one. Ramsey then moved to Barbados as rector of Christ Church.
Christ Church, like many other parts of barbados, were enraptured by the Atlantic Slave Trade and the plantation complex. Ramsey frequently donated large sums of money to the University of Aberdeen, specifically targeting divinity and philosophy students. The money generated came directly from the sale of an unknown number of enslaved peoples, and upon his death, all remaining enslaved people in his possession were also sold. Ramsey used the Atlantic Slave Trade to directely fund the university, a fact the institution acknowledge and frequently examine.
Alexander Allardyce
Alexander Allardyce moved from Aberdeen to Jamaica in 1745, where he made his fortune investing in the importation of enslaved peoples. According to reports, Allardyce sold hundreds of enslaved peoples and he would continue to grow his wealth through owning his own plantation in St. Ann’s, Jamaica. The plantations in Jamaica predominantly produced sugar and rum through slave labour and were known for their high mortality rates. Allardyce purchased land in Dunnottar where he built a mansion called Ury House. This was eventually demolished.
Powis Gateway
One of the most well known examples of Aberdeen’s legacy with the Atlantic Slave Trade is the Powis Gateway on campus. The Powis Gateway was initially the entrance to the Leslie Daily Estate. Hugh Leslie married Anne Agnes Lamond, and through this inherited 423 acres of land in Port Royal, Jamaica. Neither Hugh nor Anne went to Jamaica to oversee their plantation but they did send their son Hugh Fraser Leslie.
It is reported that 1,268 enslaved peoples were linked to their plantation and two others Hugh helped to oversee. After the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade, the Leslie family were compensated for the loss of the enslaved peoples in their possession. It is suggested that with this compensation the gateway was built, and in 2022, a plaque was added to this gateway to contextualise its conception. It is part of a broader effort from the university to acknowledge the legacy of the Atlantic Slave Trade and aim to spread awareness rather than bury its ties.
