Who was Robert Milligan and where is his statue?
ROBERT Milligan’s statue has been removed from its plinth outside the West India Docks in London. But who was he and why is the removal of his statue important? Who was Robert Milligan? Milligan was a prolific British slave trader who owned 526 slaves at his two Jamaican plantations by the time he died in […]
ROBERT Milligan’s statue has been removed from its plinth outside the West India Docks in London.
But who was he and why is the removal of his statue important?
Who was Robert Milligan?
Milligan was a prolific British slave trader who owned 526 slaves at his two Jamaican plantations by the time he died in 1809, aged 63.
Born to a slave-owning family on a Jamaican plantation, Milligan owned slave ships and made an incredible amount of money off the backs of black slaves shortly before the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 and 1833.
He was the major driving force for the creation of the West India Docks in London around Canary Wharf.
When they were completed in 1802 the docks held a 21-year monopoly on slave-made produce like sugar, rum and coffee that came in from the West Indies and were specifically designed for importing slave goods.
Slave owners were compensated for their loss of earnings when the slave trade was abolished after the government shelled out the equivalent of £16 billion to already wealthy families like Milligan’s.
Where was his statue?
A statue of Milligan has stood in front of the Museum of London Docklands since it was created by Richard Westmacott in May 1809.
According to its website, The Museum of London Docklands is surrounded by buildings, streets and statues built with the profits of slavery, in many cases commemorating the owners and traders of enslaved people.
What happened to his statue?
The statue was taken down by a JCB on June 9 by the local Tower Hamlets Council after outrage by anti-racism protesters and a petition by a Labour MP.
The Museum of London Docklands said the statue had “stood uncomfortably” outside its premises “for a long time”.
They said: “The Museum of London recognises that the monument is part of the ongoing problematic regime of white-washing history, which disregards the pain of those who are still wrestling with the remnants of the crimes Milligan committed against humanity.”
The statue was taken off on the back of a truck to an unknown location.
The council is still deciding what to do with it.
In a statement on Twitter, the council said: “Tonight, we have removed the statue of slave trader Robert Milligan that previously stood at West India Quay.
“We have also announced a review into monuments and other sites in our borough to understand how we should represent the more troubling periods in our history.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: “It’s a sad truth that much of our wealth was derived from the slave trade – but this does not have to be celebrated in our public spaces.”
Khan has since opened up a review into statues of slave owners, streets and squares named after the human traffickers across London.
Protesters also tore down slave trader Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol during the ongoing movement against the killing of George Floyd and black oppression.