The fascinating history behind the towering memorial found in a Cambridgeshire town
Cambridgeshire is a county with an engrossing history that can be explored at one of the many museums found across the area. However, sometimes you can learn about a city or town's history just by taking a walk around and keeping your eyes peeled for little bits of the past hidden in plain sight.
The Clarkson Memorial in Wisbech is a prominent statue that many people will walk or drive past on a daily basis. Even though the memorial is hard to miss, some Cambridgeshire residents may not know the history behind the elaborate landmark.
Found on Bridge Street, the memorial was built in 1881 to commemorate the Wisbech local, Thomas Clarkson. Thomas Clarkson was a central part of the campaign to abolish slavery in the British Empire.
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In his early years, Clarkson attended Wisbech Grammar School before studying at St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge where he won first place in a Latin essay competition by writing a paper about slavery. With the help of his brother, the paper was translated into English and was the first publication criticising slavery that reached a wide audience.
Clarkson helped start the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade and collected items that highlighted the cruelty of the slave trade. He also interviewed 20,000 sailors to gather evidence against it.
He kept these items, which included handcuffs, whips, and branding irons in a chest that can now be found at the Wisbech & Fenland Museum. Clarkson also travelled across the country to collect signatures for petitions and to encourage people to boycott slave-produced sugar.
Clarkson's efforts helped to bring the issue of slavery to Parliament's attention and was one of the key figures who aided the passing of the Slave Trade Act in 1807. The Clarkson Memorial still stands today to remind residents of his work.
On the memorial, you can see three relief sculptures carved into three of the landmark's panels. They depict the abolitionists, Granville Sharp and William Wilberforce, and the logo created by Josiah Wedgewood of a shackled slave.
Inside the memorial, you can see a sculpture of Thomas Clarkson made of white Ancaster stone. The memorial is around 68 feet high and is impossible not to spot in the town thanks to its central location.
The memorial cost £2,035 to build and is placed near Clarkson's home. A supplicant panel was installed on the memorial in 2011 in celebration of the 130th anniversary of the building of the landmark.