An aristocratic dynasty has accused a prestigious Russell Group university that they helped to establish of “attributing ‘inherited guilt’” after it released a report linking them to slavery. The Times has the story:
A report commissioned by Nottingham University found that the 7th Duke of Portland, one of its “most distinguished benefactors”, had benefited from the “social capital” of the slave-owning first holder of the dukedom 300 years ago.
However, the family of the duke, who died in 1977, said that the report raises “troubling ethical implications of holding descendants accountable for the actions of their ancestors”.
Slavery was abolished in the British empire in 1834, almost 60 years before the 7th duke was born in 1893. His descendants said there is no evidence of the inheritance of wealth originating from slavery in their branch of the family.
“The report appears to ‘reverse-engineer’ history in an attempt to establish ‘slavery links’ between a post-abolition university and post-abolition benefactors,” said a source involved in the consultation for the report.
The family is now led by William Parente, 73, the grandson of the 7th duke, who inherited the 15,000-acre Welbeck estate straddling the borders of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and Bothal Castle in Northumberland.
The King has a direct bloodline to the family as his great-grandmother, Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, descended from the 3rd Duke of Portland, a prime minister in 1783. He signalled his support last year for research co-sponsored by Historic Royal Palaces into the monarchy’s historical links with transatlantic slavery.
African and Caribbean members of the Commonwealth have called for Britain to pay up to £26 trillion of reparations.
The first Duke of Portland was appointed the governor of Jamaica, where he owned dozens of slaves, in the 1720s after losing his fortune in the South Sea Bubble financial crash. The 140-page report found that his colonial position led to the “accumulation and transference of financial, social and reputational capital to the following generations”.
It said that colonial roles given to the first duke’s heirs “helped to preserve the dynasty’s status as a powerful elite ruling aristocratic family”. The report claimed other branches of the family were involved in slavery until abolition.
The dukedom became extinct when the 9th duke died in 1990 without a male heir. Another branch of the family includes the 12th Earl of Portland, Timothy Bentinck, 71, an actor who plays David Archer in BBC Radio 4’s long-running rural soap opera The Archers.
The family has been patrons of Nottingham University since its foundation in 1881.
Professor Katherine Linehan, the university’s pro vice-chancellor for people and culture, described the report as the “first step in acknowledging these historical links and will act as a catalyst to an open dialogue between the university and its black heritage community with respect to reparative justice.”
The report covered the period from 1875, when the first donation was made for the founding of a university in Nottingham, to 1960. It claimed that between 36 per cent and 44 per cent of total private donations received were made by eight patrons which it said have historic links to the transatlantic slave economy, including the Bentinck and Cavendish-Bentinck family, who are descended from the 1st Duke.
The family’s Welbeck estate said it has tried engaging with the university after being informed of the planned report in 2020, but was repeatedly rebuffed. It said its lawyers have raised concerns aiming to ensure the historical record is “accurate, fair and balanced” since receiving a draft copy in July last year.
“From the university’s perspective, it may be reasonable — perhaps even necessary — to exclude differing viewpoints as part of efforts to redress historical imbalances,” added the source. “However, this approach risks sidelining the essential principles of truth and open dialogue.”
Worth reading in full.
