British Crown emblem used to brand enslaved Africans, research finds

New historical research from the Register of British Slave Traders has revealed that enslaved Africans were branded with red-hot metal marks featuring the emblem of the British Crown. The findings, documented by historians including Nicholas Radburn of Lancaster University, highlight the direct involvement of British institutions and the monarchy in the transatlantic slave trade.

Evidence found within the archives of the South Sea Company shows that its directors in London issued specific instructions to agents in the Americas to use branding as a method to distinguish their enslaved workforce. Despite warnings from a physician that the large marks could be life-threatening, the company's board directed agents to proceed with the branding. The directors involved included prominent political and financial figures, such as Members of Parliament and directors of the Bank of England.

The Register of British Slave Traders aims to provide a comprehensive record of the thousands of individuals and institutions that invested in the slave trade between 1563 and 1807. Researchers describe the discovery as a harrowing illustration of how the trade functioned as an official national enterprise led by the British monarchy.