The independent report researched and written by the historian Dr Richard Stone, ‘Enslavement, the Transatlantic Traffic in Enslaved Africans, and the Society of Merchant Venturers of Bristol’ can be accessed here.

A letter from Michael Bothamley, SMV’s leader, issued alongside the report to members and partners of the Bristol Legacy Foundation, can be accessed here.

Michael was interviewed about the history report by Madu on Ujima Radio, which you can listen to here.

SMV commissioned the independent history report to seek answers to many of the questions we are asked about the role of this organisation, and its members of the time, in the transatlantic trafficking and enslavement of Africans.

Before publication, we have shared the report with members of the Black community and the descendants of enslaved Africans who are helping us to understand how today’s members of SMV can deliver reparatory justice and help ensure that Bristol becomes a city where inequality no longer exists.