‘Can we flatter ourselves that the mischief which the slave trade has created will not be remembered for many ages to our reproach?’ Lord Grenville, Prime Minister, 1806

As part of its contribution to Black History Month in October, the Royal Naval Museum is hosting a major one-day conference investigating the slave trade, its abolition and legacies.

The ‘Chasing Freedom - Abolition 200 Conference’ on Saturday 6th October 2007, is the latest in a series of events organised by the Museum in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.

A top panel of leading historians will consider the impact of the trade, and the meaning of freedom for the enslaved, in the Caribbean, Brazil and North America.  It will also investigate its influence on the British economy as well as examine the efforts of the Royal Navy and its men in suppressing the trade post 1807.

‘We are thrilled to have Professor James Walvin, from the University of York, as our keynote speaker,’ says Deborah Hodson, ‘Chasing Freedom’ Project Manager. ‘He is justly known as one of the world’s leading historians on slavery and together with the other speakers will certainly provide a fascinating perspective on this years commemorations’.

Tickets cost £18 (£14 for concessions) and there a number of free tickets available to full-time students, thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

A special Bicentenary exhibition, ‘Chasing Freedom: The Royal Navy and the Suppression of the Transatlantic Slave Trade’, is currently running at the Museum.

For further information on the Abolition 200 Conference, please visit www.royalnavalmuseum.org or contact Melanie Simpson at the Royal Naval Museum on 023 9272 7584 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

For further information this press release, please contact Zoe Wild at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on 023 9289 4558 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it