Brookes, English Slave Ship,1788

Brookes, English Slave Ship,1788

The Brookes was an infamous English slave ship. Engraving was published in 1788 by the Plymouth chapter of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Shows slaves arranged on the ship's lower deck and poop deck, in accordance with the Regulated Slave Trade Act of 1788. The Brookes was reportedly allowed to stow 454 African slaves, by allowing a space of 6 ft x 1 ft 4 inches to each man; 5 ft 10 in x 1 ft 4 in to each woman, and 5 ft x 1 ft 2 in to each child. Unhygienic conditions, dehydration, dysentery and scurvy led to a high mortality rate, on average 15% and up to a third of captives.

Album / NYPL/Science Source

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3511 x 3513 px | 35.3 MB

29.7 x 29.7 cm | 11.7 x 11.7 in (300 dpi)