Bidspirit auction | East African Slave Neck Chains

East African Slave Neck Chains c 1780 with 6ft chain - Understood to be c1780-1820 era neck slave irons with a 6ft chain made of wrought iron - it has been in the previous owner’s possession for around 50 years. This item is an important and difficult reminder of an era when many enriched themselves at the hands of others and mainly on the basis of race and skin colour. The Highlands aren't exempt from that with slavery significantly influencing the Scottish Highlands, as wealth from slave-ownership and plantations funding the purchase of at least 63 estates (over one million acres) in the West Highlands and Islands between 1726 and 1939. Its also hard to fathom that much of money used to buy these estates came from the compensation money from the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act, contributing to a ”revolution” in landownership. Money that many believe should have gone to the slaves, rather than the landowners - what was the price of the Slave's freedom - £10.30 each. (equivalent to nearly 4 months of wages for a skilled craftsman). The UK borrowed £20 million to fund the purchase of the slaves' freedom and after some refinancing over the years, it can say the debt was fully repaid sometime between 2010 & 2020. Showing our gruesome past isn't so far away from our present. Items like this don't come to market often and are mainly found in museums. We hope having it in the auction reminds us where we have gone wrong in the past and how the Highlands have also been shaped by his part of History. Understanding and accepting our past makes for a better future for all.