£1 million grant enables transatlantic slavery research

A new partnership between Lloyd’s Register Foundation and National Museums Liverpool has been announced today.

A £1 million grant from the Foundation will support the establishment and development of the Connector project, a new initiative facilitated by National Museums Liverpool, to create an international network of partners, working collaboratively with local communities across the world to advance the collective understanding of the complex history and legacies of transatlantic slavery.

The transatlantic trafficking of enslaved African people had a significant impact on early global maritime systems, the expansion of maritime routes, legislation, governance, economic growth of port cities, maritime law and regulation. The development of financial systems such as banking, credit and insurance, which had been evolving from various trade networks, all advanced substantially at the cost of profound human suffering. 

As one of the country’s most important ports at the time, Liverpool played a central role in transatlantic slavery, and was also one of 16 British ports at which Lloyd’s Register historically surveyed and classified ships. The city is also home to the International Slavery Museum (part of National Museums Liverpool; currently closed for major redevelopment), and the expertise and experience of academic partners and community groups. 

The Connector project will lay the foundation for further long-term plans to help connect the international museum and heritage sector, higher education institutions, creative practitioners, businesses and grass roots community groups around the world.

Financial support for individuals working with organisations aligned with the project will be offered, providing accessible opportunities to ensure key research, engagement and learning are not lost where a lack of resources may otherwise have prevented involvement. By resourcing global collaboration in the form of bursaries, the initiative will enable new relationships for shared understanding, championing new dialogue to help uncover and contextualise international links to the history of transatlantic slavery and its worldwide legacies.

The project is expected to start in autumn 2025, with application for bursaries anticipated to open in 2026.

Laura Pye, Director of National Museums Liverpool said: “We know there is important work being done on the subject of transatlantic slavery and maritime history across the UK, and internationally. 

“With the generous support of Lloyd’s Register Foundation, the Connector project will provide a central platform, to share knowledge and expertise, and generate new research, understanding and discourse. 

“As we continue to witness the ongoing legacies of transatlantic slavery, through challenges and tensions related to racism and discrimination, this project has the power to not only lay the foundation for both an innovative model for research, education and collaboration, but also respond to some of the most pressing and complex issues facing the world today.”

Alex Stitt, Director of Heritage at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, added: “We are on our own journey of researching and confronting the historical connections of Lloyd’s Register to transatlantic slavery. As an organisation that played a role in the maritime system that enabled transatlantic slavery, it is vital that we acknowledge this past, and support work that fosters a greater understanding of the history and legacies of slavery.

“Our partnership with National Museums Liverpool is an important part of this work, especially in terms of facilitating the international collaboration needed to ensure transatlantic slavery research is inclusive, accessible and impactful for those who live with its legacies.”

Image: Lloyd’s Register books at the Archives Centre, Maritime Museum, Liverpool © National Museums Liverpool