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Heiresses

Marriage, Inheritance and Caribbean Slavery
By Miranda Kaufmann
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Brief Description
From Jamaica to Charleston, Sierra Leone to Bombay, China to Australia, back to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, this is the story of the heiresses. Their assets, the product of the exploitation of enslaved Africans, enabled them to marry into the top tiers of the aristocracy... Read More
Format: Hardback
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Exposing the hidden ways slave-produced wealth poured into Britain

Exposing the hidden ways slave-produced wealth poured into Britain

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

From Jamaica to Charleston, Sierra Leone to Bombay, China to Australia, back to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, this is the story of the heiresses. Their assets, the product of the exploitation of enslaved Africans, enabled them to marry into the top tiers of the aristocracy and attracted the attention of fortune-hunters.

They fell in love (not always with their husbands), eloped, divorced, squandered fortunes, threw parties, went mad and (in one case) faked a daughter’s death.

Heiresses explores the Caribbean Marriage Trade, tracing tainted money from its origins in slavery to its disposal on country homes, paintings and philanthropic ventures. After slavery was abolished in 1834, British slave-owners were compensated to the tune of £20 million, incurring a government debt that was only fully paid off in 2015. Miranda Kaufmann examines how slave-produced wealth came into Britain, not as a result of men setting out to establish plantations or trade in slaves, but by choosing to enter into the contract of matrimony: for better or for worse, for richer, but not for poorer.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780861548019

Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 04 September 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Oneworld Publications

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 45.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 544

Collections

Education & Reference European History History & Archaeology History & Military Miranda Kaufmann Non-Fiction

About the Author

Miranda Kaufmann is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of London’s Institute of Commonwealth Studies. Her first book, Black Tudors, was shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize 2018 and was A Book of the Year for the Evening Standard and the Observer. She has appeared on Sky News, the BBC and Al Jazeera, and she’s written for The Times, Guardian and BBC History Magazine. She lives in North Wales.

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