Drax of Drax Hall: How One British Family Got Rich (and Stayed Rich) from Sugar and Slavery
Autor Paul Lashmar Cuvânt înainte de David Olusogaen Limba Engleză Hardback – 20 mar 2025
While the British landed gentry were to profit from chattel slavery in the West Indies, the Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax family of Dorset pioneered it.
Spanning 400 years and 18 generations, Drax of Drax Hall is a story that has never been told. It all started when James Drax, one of the first settlers in Barbados in 1627, effectively founded the British sugar industry. His descendants went on to write the book on how to run a slave plantation. For more than two hundred years, the family enslaved up to 330 people at any time and became enormously wealthy.
Today, the bloodline is unbroken, and former Tory MP Richard Drax heads the family from his vast Charborough Estate in Dorset. With physical assets worth at least £150m—not to mention the 621-acre sugar plantation in Barbados, the Drax Hall Estate—he was the wealthiest landowner in the House of Commons. Unseated in 2024, he remains a hero amongst hard-right culture warriors for his refusal to make any reparations for his family's role in slavery.
Drax of Drax Hall is a history that lifts the lid on this grotesque family. Through enclosure at home and enslavement abroad, their exploits expose the ugly realities of colonialism and empire—the legacies of which we have yet to confront today fully.
Spanning 400 years and 18 generations, Drax of Drax Hall is a story that has never been told. It all started when James Drax, one of the first settlers in Barbados in 1627, effectively founded the British sugar industry. His descendants went on to write the book on how to run a slave plantation. For more than two hundred years, the family enslaved up to 330 people at any time and became enormously wealthy.
Today, the bloodline is unbroken, and former Tory MP Richard Drax heads the family from his vast Charborough Estate in Dorset. With physical assets worth at least £150m—not to mention the 621-acre sugar plantation in Barbados, the Drax Hall Estate—he was the wealthiest landowner in the House of Commons. Unseated in 2024, he remains a hero amongst hard-right culture warriors for his refusal to make any reparations for his family's role in slavery.
Drax of Drax Hall is a history that lifts the lid on this grotesque family. Through enclosure at home and enslavement abroad, their exploits expose the ugly realities of colonialism and empire—the legacies of which we have yet to confront today fully.
Preț: 166.97 lei
Nou
Puncte Express: 250
Preț estimativ în valută:
31.95€ • 33.24$ • 26.38£
31.95€ • 33.24$ • 26.38£
Carte nepublicată încă
Doresc să fiu notificat când acest titlu va fi disponibil:
Se trimite...
Preluare comenzi: 021 569.72.76
Specificații
ISBN-13: 9780745350516
ISBN-10: 0745350518
Pagini: 448
Ilustrații: 29 colour photographs
Dimensiuni: 155 x 234 mm
Greutate: 0.45 kg
Editura: PLUTO PRESS
Colecția Pluto Press
ISBN-10: 0745350518
Pagini: 448
Ilustrații: 29 colour photographs
Dimensiuni: 155 x 234 mm
Greutate: 0.45 kg
Editura: PLUTO PRESS
Colecția Pluto Press
Recenzii
'An important and timely book, in which Paul Lashmar uses the story of the Drax family’s history as enslavers in Barbados as a microcosm of Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. What’s so striking is the extent to which the current day wealth of the Drax family can be linked to their ancestors’ enslavement of Africans beginning in 1627'
Laura Trevelyan, journalist and author of A Very British Family: The Trevelyans and Their World
'A family story straight out of Game of Thrones - five centuries of exploitation, greed and horrific cruelty, and no regrets whatsoever. Old-school investigative reporting married with a fearless historian's eye for the truth produces this - shocking, fascinating, enraging. A brilliant book that anyone still trying to defend Britain's colonial history in the Caribbean will choke on'
Alex Renton, author of Blood Legacy: Reckoning With a Family’s Story of Slavery
'A timely retelling of the story of how one Englishman led the introduction of sugar and racial slavery to the Caribbean, as well as an eye-opening exploration of how the vast resulting profits were consolidated and enjoyed by generations of his descendants'
Matthew Parker, author of The Sugar Barons: Family, Corruption, Empire and War
'Lashmar eloquently reminds us that history is never truly past. In this deeply-researched family history, we learn that the Draxes, an English family of wealth and privilege, were not only intimately tied to the origins of the Atlantic slave trade, but have lived unapologetically from its proceeds ever since. For anyone interested in a riveting account of history’s unfinished business, this book is a must-read'
Jon Lee Anderson, journalist, The New Yorker
'An eye-opening book no one should ignore. Revelatory about how the wealth and status of 18 generations of one family benefited from barbaric roots in chattel slavery, Drax of Drax Hall illustrates how the past continues to inform the present, and why the call for reparatory justice resonates more loudly now than ever before (particularly for those – like me – with bloodlines directly linked to the island of Barbados as well as to the west coast of Africa, from where many were trafficked). Read, and be informed!'
Margaret Busby, author of New Daughters of Africa
'The past is still with us. We must know and tell the truth about it if we are to flourish in the present and the future. Only then can the better angels of our nature fully emerge. Paul Lashmar’s book is a powerful exercise in the truth telling that is so necessary'
Alan Smith, First Church Estates Commissioner, The Church Commissioners for England
Laura Trevelyan, journalist and author of A Very British Family: The Trevelyans and Their World
'A family story straight out of Game of Thrones - five centuries of exploitation, greed and horrific cruelty, and no regrets whatsoever. Old-school investigative reporting married with a fearless historian's eye for the truth produces this - shocking, fascinating, enraging. A brilliant book that anyone still trying to defend Britain's colonial history in the Caribbean will choke on'
Alex Renton, author of Blood Legacy: Reckoning With a Family’s Story of Slavery
'A timely retelling of the story of how one Englishman led the introduction of sugar and racial slavery to the Caribbean, as well as an eye-opening exploration of how the vast resulting profits were consolidated and enjoyed by generations of his descendants'
Matthew Parker, author of The Sugar Barons: Family, Corruption, Empire and War
'Lashmar eloquently reminds us that history is never truly past. In this deeply-researched family history, we learn that the Draxes, an English family of wealth and privilege, were not only intimately tied to the origins of the Atlantic slave trade, but have lived unapologetically from its proceeds ever since. For anyone interested in a riveting account of history’s unfinished business, this book is a must-read'
Jon Lee Anderson, journalist, The New Yorker
'An eye-opening book no one should ignore. Revelatory about how the wealth and status of 18 generations of one family benefited from barbaric roots in chattel slavery, Drax of Drax Hall illustrates how the past continues to inform the present, and why the call for reparatory justice resonates more loudly now than ever before (particularly for those – like me – with bloodlines directly linked to the island of Barbados as well as to the west coast of Africa, from where many were trafficked). Read, and be informed!'
Margaret Busby, author of New Daughters of Africa
'The past is still with us. We must know and tell the truth about it if we are to flourish in the present and the future. Only then can the better angels of our nature fully emerge. Paul Lashmar’s book is a powerful exercise in the truth telling that is so necessary'
Alan Smith, First Church Estates Commissioner, The Church Commissioners for England
Notă biografică
"Important and timely ... Paul Lashmar uses the story of the Drax family's history as enslavers in Barbados as a microcosm of Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade" Laura Trevelyan, journalist and author of A Very British Family
"A family story straight out of Game of Thrones ... Old-school investigative reporting married with a fearless historianís eye for the truth. A brilliant book that anyone still trying to defend Britain's colonial history in the Caribbean will choke on" Alex Renton, author of Blood Legacy
"A timely retelling of the story of how one Englishman led the introduction of sugar and racial slavery to the Caribbean, as well as an eye-opening exploration of how the vast resulting profits were consolidated and enjoyed by generations of his descendants" Matthew Parker, author of The Sugar Barons
"This book is a must-read" Jon Lee Anderson, journalist, The New Yorker
Spanning 400 years, Drax of Drax Hall is a story of a plantation owning dynasty that has never been told. It all started when James Drax, one of the first settlers in Barbados in 1627, founded the British sugar industry. His descendants went on to write the book on how to run a slave plantation. For more than two hundred years, the family enslaved up to 330 people at any time and became enormously rich.
Today, the bloodline is unbroken, and former Tory MP Richard Drax heads the family from his vast Charborough Estate in Dorset. With physical assets worth at least £150m--not to mention the 621-acre sugar plantation in Barbados--he was the wealthiest landowner in the House of Commons. Today, he remains a hero amongst traditionalists and culture warriors for his refusal to make any public reparations for his family's historical role in slavery.
Drax of Drax Hall lifts the lid on a grotesque period of the family's history. Through enclosure at home and enslavement abroad, their exploits expose the ugly realities of colonialism and empire--the legacies of which we have yet to confront.
PAUL LASHMAR is an investigative journalist and Reader in Journalism at City St George's, University of London. He has taken an interest in the history of slavery since he developed a Channel 4 series on Britain's slave trade in 1999. Paul has been on the staff of The Observer, Granada Television's World in Action current affairs series and The Independent. He is the author, co-author or co-editor of six books and lives in Dorset.
"A family story straight out of Game of Thrones ... Old-school investigative reporting married with a fearless historianís eye for the truth. A brilliant book that anyone still trying to defend Britain's colonial history in the Caribbean will choke on" Alex Renton, author of Blood Legacy
"A timely retelling of the story of how one Englishman led the introduction of sugar and racial slavery to the Caribbean, as well as an eye-opening exploration of how the vast resulting profits were consolidated and enjoyed by generations of his descendants" Matthew Parker, author of The Sugar Barons
"This book is a must-read" Jon Lee Anderson, journalist, The New Yorker
Spanning 400 years, Drax of Drax Hall is a story of a plantation owning dynasty that has never been told. It all started when James Drax, one of the first settlers in Barbados in 1627, founded the British sugar industry. His descendants went on to write the book on how to run a slave plantation. For more than two hundred years, the family enslaved up to 330 people at any time and became enormously rich.
Today, the bloodline is unbroken, and former Tory MP Richard Drax heads the family from his vast Charborough Estate in Dorset. With physical assets worth at least £150m--not to mention the 621-acre sugar plantation in Barbados--he was the wealthiest landowner in the House of Commons. Today, he remains a hero amongst traditionalists and culture warriors for his refusal to make any public reparations for his family's historical role in slavery.
Drax of Drax Hall lifts the lid on a grotesque period of the family's history. Through enclosure at home and enslavement abroad, their exploits expose the ugly realities of colonialism and empire--the legacies of which we have yet to confront.
PAUL LASHMAR is an investigative journalist and Reader in Journalism at City St George's, University of London. He has taken an interest in the history of slavery since he developed a Channel 4 series on Britain's slave trade in 1999. Paul has been on the staff of The Observer, Granada Television's World in Action current affairs series and The Independent. He is the author, co-author or co-editor of six books and lives in Dorset.
Cuprins
Foreword by David Olusoga
Introduction
1. Drax Hall, Barbados
2. The Erles of Charborough
3. Barbados and the Civil War
4. After Restoration
5. The Royal Years
6. The Wicked Squire
7. Four Barrels and a Smoking Gun
8. Nemesis
Bilbiography
Index
Introduction
1. Drax Hall, Barbados
2. The Erles of Charborough
3. Barbados and the Civil War
4. After Restoration
5. The Royal Years
6. The Wicked Squire
7. Four Barrels and a Smoking Gun
8. Nemesis
Bilbiography
Index
Descriere
The story of the British Empire and slavery told through one family of the landed gentry, the Draxes of Dorset and Barbados