Pictures:
Top - Wilberforce Museum in Hull. Bottom - Statue of Wilberforce peers around the gate of the museum.
William Wilberforce - campaigner against slavery
A 17th Century building in Hull’s old town stands the birthplace of one of William Wilberforce (1759-1833), an ardent social reformer and famous for his fight for the abolition of slavery. Now a museum, it tells the story of the slave trade.
William Wilberforce was born in Hull and went to the Grammar School. Later, he came under the influence of the evangelical wing of the Church of England. He served in Parliament from 1780 to 1825. He fervently supported many social reforms to deal with the worst forms of child labour and cruelty to animals, but devoted the best of his energies to the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. Year after year he introduced anti-slavery motions until after 18 years the slave trade was finally abolished in 1806.
He continued the fight until in 1833 the Slavery Abolition Bill was passed and abolished slavery throughout the British Empire. Wilberforce died in London on July 29th 1833, just before the Bill came into force on 1st August. A year later 800,000 slaves, chiefly in the West Indies, were set free.
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