How a flood led family to discover slavery link

Growing up, Richard Blake knew lone vague details of his family's long-lost luck but a flood successful the 1990s led him to uncover his ancestors' troubling relation successful the transatlantic enslaved trade.

As a lad helium was fascinated by his grandmother's stories of the family's past - adventures involving swords, blowpipes and far-off lands.

Descended from the Grants of Kilgraston House successful Perthshire, Mr Blake tin hint his maternal enactment to Sir Francis Grant, an creator who painted Queen Victoria, and Mary Grant, a 19th period sculptor.

While helium took an involvement successful the artwork, helium said, helium didn't person immoderate existent inkling of what laic down the household privileges and wealth.

"It was each a spot of a mystery," helium said.

Mr Blake was moving arsenic a spouse successful a ineligible signifier successful a erstwhile slope gathering successful Perth erstwhile the adjacent River Tay flooded successful January 1993.

The slope vault, which was being utilized to store ineligible documents, was filled by astir 2.5ft (1m) of mucky water.

When it was cleared out, boxes chalked with Kilgraston began to look connected his desk.

While looking done them helium discovered a receipt from 1787 for the merchantability of Kilgraston property to 1 of his ancestors.

"That was a benignant of catalyst for me, to effort to uncover however this John Grant had afforded what I deliberation is the equivalent of much than £2m contiguous for an property successful the southbound of Perth," Richard said.

"Since past it has been an detonation of accusation for maine astir Jamaica and Scotland's engagement successful slavery."

Through his probe Mr Blake learned that John and his brother, Francis - whose lad was the creator Sir Francis - near Scotland arsenic teenagers successful the 1750s.

They worked successful Nova Scotia, Canada, for immoderate years earlier travelling to Jamaica.

It was 1 of the British empire's starring sweetener producers where, by 1800, astir a 3rd of the island's estates were owned by Scots and heavy reliant connected slavery.

John and Francis Grant worked arsenic attorneys, managing plantations for absentee landowners.

John yet became Chief Justice of Jamaica portion his member bought a plantation of his ain on with enslaved radical to enactment it.

Mr Blake said helium suspected Francis Grant whitethorn besides person been a enslaved trader aft speechmaking vague accusation astir involvement successful a vessel successful Bristol.

At the clip Bristol was a large slaving port. Ships would get with goods produced done enslaved labour successful the Caribbean specified arsenic sugar, rum and cocoa, and past spell to West Africa to get captives to merchantability into slavery.

"It was beauteous shocking for maine to uncover the grade of those links to slavery," Mr Blake said.

"It has affected however I consciousness astir my heritage, it has enactment a wholly antithetic complexion connected however I consciousness astir that broadside of my background."

Dr Stephen Mullen, a lecturer successful past astatine the University of Glasgow, said the magnitude of wealthiness brought backmost to Scotland by radical similar Mr Blake's ancestors was "enormous".

"I calculated that the cumulative returns by Scottish sojourners successful the West Indies betwixt 1784 and 1858 was the equivalent of £894m successful modern values," helium said.

Laura Trevelyan past discontinue the BBC aft 30 years to go a full-time slavery reparations campaigner.

Like the Trevelyans, the Grant household was paid compensation for the radical they owned erstwhile slavery was abolished by the UK authorities successful 1807.

"The Grant household enactment died retired successful 1950 and the wealthiness disappeared successful the 19th Century," Mr Blake said.

"It was spent - and you volition person countless repeats of that done Scottish nine wherever it has conscionable evaporated.

"I deliberation if determination is to beryllium reparations it would astir apt person to beryllium directed to the lawmakers," helium said.

After the income from their sweetener plantation dried up pursuing the abolition of slavery, the Grant household fortunes dwindled until John Patrick (JP) Grant, sold Kilgraston property and talented the location to the federation successful 1916.

The gathering was aboriginal bought by a Catholic foundation and is present utilized arsenic a backstage boarding school.

The laminitis of the Edinburgh Caribbean Association, Lisa Williams, said that it had taken years of campaigning for different specified Scottish institutions to admit their "exploitative planetary connections".

"Efforts person intensified to grow the cognition of assemblage Scotland during the past 3 decades," she said.

Mr Blake said that JP Grant, who had sold the household estate, had written connected 1 of the archived papers: "An absorbing humanities papers but precise distressing to read".

"From what I recognize JP Grant took a immense involvement successful sorting done each the household papers, present wherefore did helium support these ones?" Mr Blake asked.

"Was it due to the fact that helium wanted determination to beryllium a grounds of the atrocities that had happened?"

Mr Blake has present written a publication - Sugar, Slaves and High Society - astir his families exploits and however they made their wealthiness successful Jamaica. In it helium describes the actions of the Grant brothers arsenic "morally repugnant".

"I could person kept everything locked successful the boxes but it's precise important for maine and my household to cognize our inheritance and I deliberation it's rather close that this is brought into the unfastened and discussed," helium said.

"It has taken maine 30 years successful what has been a cathartic process.

"I tin recognize what drove them to marque their wealth - but the the motivation question I inactive can't get my caput circular and that volition beryllium with maine everlastingly I think."