Slavery and Empire on Display at Charlecote Park, Warwickshire

This study looks to analyse the colonial ties of Charlecote Park in Warwickshire, owned by George Hammond Lucy and his wife Mary Elizabeth during the early nineteenth century, as a location that benefited from British colonial exploitation through the opulent display of art and furnishings, which were installed within the house as a form of social heirarchy. A few months before their marriage, George Hammond Lucy spent over £3,400 (approximately £400,000 today) at the Fonthill Sale in 1823.

Here the direct connection between Charlecote and the colonies arises. William Thomas Beckford, art collector and novelist, held the sale as he needed money, selling off his estate and much of his art collection. His original wealth was derived from his father's lands in Jamaica, but sugar prices fell, and he was unable to support his interests. This ironically highlights the global transition of importance from the West Indies to the East Indies as William Thomas Beckford spent his
wealth gained from the plantations on predominantly Asian art and furniture. The elder Beckford was famous as a prominent politician; twice Lord Mayor of London, and an anti-abolitionist. Through exploring the relationship between the Lucys' material desires and the Beckfords' wealth from enslavement, the
global connection can be better understood.

There is substantial relevant archival evidence at the Warwickshire County Records Office, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Bodleian Library, Hampshire archives, and the collection at Charlecote. Additionally, Mary Elizabeth Lucy kept a diary, later published as The Mistress of Charlecote. These provide primary evidence as accounts and correspondence, from which details emerge presenting an idea of how the Lucys, Beckfords, and others engaged with society in Britain and abroad. My historical background includes detailed research into Caribbean history, including the history of sugar, life on the plantation for enslaved people together with their cultural differences from the white population. I have also researched life in Britain for the black population, their experiences as individuals and as part of the British population. This will help in analysing the Charlecote collection and its effect on the wider Warwickshire community. I have worked with museum collections, researching object histories and understanding them in a wider context. I have also worked in an archive, updating databases and improving digitised catalogues. I have experience reading original records through studying palaeography. These skills and experiences will be invaluable in navigating the archives I would be using for research.