Surveying Corra Foundation’s Historical Relationship with British Banks, Empire and Atlantic Slavery

Mullen, S. (2023) Surveying Corra Foundation’s Historical Relationship with British Banks, Empire and Atlantic Slavery. Documentation. Corra Foundation.

Abstract

This report explores the relationship between Corra Foundation (Corra) (and its predecessors in 1985 and 1997), British banking, Empire and slavery. The study was undertaken between March and June 2023. The research (30 funded days) was desk-based, with a methodology of reviewing secondary literature and open-access contemporary printed and published sources, alongside some primary materials. This study assessed publicly available sources related to relevant banking institutions (the Trustee Savings Banks movement; and Lloyds Banking Group) to ascertain what is currently known about their historic relationship with Atlantic slavery, and how this shaped the commercial infrastructure from which Corra evolved. This report concludes the commercial success of Lloyds Banking Group, and to the Trustee Savings Banks in Scotland (albeit to a lesser extent and in different ways), was predicated upon the practice of Atlantic slavery in the Americas in the 18th and 19th century. Connections with Atlantic slavery directly supported the evolution into international banking enterprises, and shaped the late twentieth century commercial infrastructure from which Corra evolved from. As such, Atlantic slavery cannot be disassociated from the large-scale payments provided to Corra and antecedent foundations between 1986 and 2018.

• Item Type: Research Reports or Papers (Documentation)
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Mullen, Dr Stephen
• Authors: Mullen, S.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > History
• Publisher: Corra Foundation