Wealthy UK family to apologise in Grenada over slave-owning past

A UK household volition publically apologise to the radical of the Caribbean land of Grenada, wherever its ancestors had much than 1,000 slaves successful the 19th Century.

The aristocratic Trevelyan family, who owned six sweetener plantations successful Grenada, volition besides wage reparations.

BBC newsman Laura Trevelyan, a household member, visited Grenada successful 2022.

She was shocked that her ancestors had been compensated by the UK authorities erstwhile slavery was abolished successful 1833 - but freed African slaves got nothing.

Speaking to the BBC successful a idiosyncratic capableness connected Saturday, Ms Trevelyan recalled her sojourn to the land for a documentary.

"It was truly horrific... I saw for myself the plantations wherever slaves were punished, erstwhile I saw the instruments of torture that were utilized to restrain them."

"I felt ashamed, and I besides felt that it was my duty. You can't repair the past - but you tin admit the pain."

Ms Trevelyan said 7 members of her household would question to Grenada aboriginal successful February to contented a nationalist apology.

The household volition springiness £100,000 ($120,000) to found a assemblage money for economical improvement connected the impoverished land and successful the eastbound Caribbean.

Ms Trevelyan said that successful 1834, the Trevelyans received astir £34,000 for the nonaccomplishment of their "property" connected Grenada - the equivalent of astir £3m successful today's money.

"For maine to beryllium giving £100,000 astir 200 years later... possibly that seems similar truly inadequate," she said.

"But I anticipation that we're mounting an illustration by apologising for what our ancestors did."

The Grenada National Reparations Commission described the motion arsenic commendable.