The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) received hundreds of pounds in 'compensation' for the loss of labour of slaves at an estate they owned in Jamaica, it has been found.
Research from NHS Lothian has discovered the hospital's historic ties to the Atlantic slave trade. Founded in 1729, the RIE owned and lease Red Hill pen, in St Thomas-in-the-East, in Jamaica between 1749 to 1892. The estate and 39 enslaved people of African descent was left to the establishment in the will of of Scottish surgeon and enslaver Dr Archibald Kerr.
The hospital gained substantial rents from the property by owning and leasing enslaved people until slavery was abolished across Britain's colonies in 1834. After abolition, Red Hill employed 'apprentice' black labourers and received around £832 from the British Government to make up for their loss of labour from the enslaved people.
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Over the years RIE received at least £28,080 from 43 individuals with ties to Atlantic slavery. These donors included physicians, surgeons, politicians, colonial officials, bankers, and a range of merchants, both in Britain and its colonies, who were connected to the enslavement of African people in the British West Indies and America.
Red Hill's annual rent in 1810 was £350, approximately equivalent to £317,400 today. With that, Red Hill made up eight per cent of income between 1744 and 1795, 31 per cent came from all charitable gifts and 73.8 per cent of the income was made up by gifts (by value) from individual people with ties to slavery.
While the abolition of slavery wasn't enforced by law until 1833, between 1773 and 1801, the RIE was involved in requests to free an enslaved Black woman (Juliet) and later her two enslaved children (John and William Moodie) on Red Hill at the request of their father, Dr John Moodie, a White man.
When the The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 was granted by the UK Parliament, RIE eventually received approximately £832 from the British Government after the abolition of slavery (1834) as ‘compensation’ for the loss of the labour of the enslaved people at Red Hill.
This report comes after NHS Lothian acknowledged, in August 2021, that they had benefited from donations funded from the slave trade. They have made a commitment to addressing the situation further and are committed to 'eliminating unlawful discrimination and harassment'.
At the time, the health board stated: "We are aware that hospitals across Lothian have benefited from funds released from the Atlantic slave trade. Both Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation and NHS Lothian can be considered as joint descendants of the legacies of these donations and endowments.
"We do not believe that there is a limitation period on such contributions and have a responsibility to address this legacy of colonialism, racism and slavery and use this learning to help remove inequality and shape a positive future for all. The impact of the roots of the slave trade is evident in the inequalities that we see today."
Since then, an independent research project has been funded by NHS Lothian Charity to document the RIE's history with the enslavement of African people.
Throughout January, NHS Lothian will host a series of public engagement events, led in partnership between the project’s independent Advisory Group and researcher, will be held in Edinburgh and online. The purpose of these events is to start a conversation about what they have learned, the lasting impact, and the changes NHS Lothian can make today.
Speaking about the most recent research project, NHS Lothian Chief Executive, Calum Campbell said: “It is essential that our health and care system is truly inclusive so that everyone in Lothian lives longer, healthier lives, with better outcomes from the care and treatment we provide. We also strive to be an inclusive employer where everyone who works with and for us has better experiences. This work to acknowledge and tackle racism and racial inequality is vital to delivering this ambition.
“This project was fully funded by NHS Lothian’s official charity, NHS Lothian Charity. An independent researcher was contracted by NHS Lothian Charity to undertake the research and will lead the subsequent public engagement work.
“We hope that the public will get involved in conversations about this important work, helping us to understand and consider different reflections and viewpoints that will inform the independent Advisory Group’s final recommendations.”
Director of NHS Lothian Charity, Jane Ferguson said: “This is an important piece of work that we are serious about working in partnership on with NHS Lothian and we are providing charitable funding to take it forward. Reducing health inequality is one of the Charity’s priority objectives and this research helps both us and NHS Lothian understand what more we can do to help improve the health outcomes of our ethnically diverse communities.”
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