William Wilberforce: a campaigning life
William Wilberforce was born at 25 High Street, Hull
on 24 August 1759. The family came from Wilberfoss
near York, which was the original spelling of the family
name. The family had moved from Wilberfoss to
Beverley, before Wilberforce’s grandfather, another
William Wilberforce, moved to Hull where he was
apprenticed to John Thornton, a Baltic trader. William
the elder built up a fortune in the Baltic trade, married
into the Thornton family and when in 1732 John
Thornton died, bought 25 High Street from Thornton’s son. The elder William
became an alderman and served as mayor of Hull twice. He and his wife had
10 children, but only 2 sons and 2 daughters survived. The eldest son, also
named William, married his cousin Hannah Thornton and moved to London.
Robert the second son married Elizabeth Bird and they had three daughters,
two of whom died young, and one son, William, a small sickly boy with weak
eyesight.
In 1767, when he was eight, Wilberforce began attending Hull Grammar
School as a dayboy. However the next year his father died and he was sent
to live with his Uncle William and his wife in London. William and Hannah
were very interested in Methodism and were friends of George Whitfield and
of John Newton, the former captain of a slave ship turned cleric. Wilberforce’s
letters to his mother began to have a religious tone. Alarmed by this, his
mother went to fetch him home to Hull in 1771. He then went to Pocklington
School as a boarder. He spent his holidays in Hull which was a lively place
with country families keeping a town house there in order to enjoy Society.
In 1776 Wilberforce went to St John’s College in Cambridge to study classics.
He did not really apply himself to work; he loved entertaining and played cards
a great deal. He got his degree but not with any great honours.
After he left Cambridge Wilberforce’s ambition was to go into politics. His
grandfather and uncle were both dead by this time and both had left him their
fortune. By 1779-80 Wilberforce was a regular visitor to the House of
Commons in order to listen to debates. Whilst there he often met his friend
from Cambridge, William Pitt. Both stood at the next election and at just 21
Wilberforce was elected as member for Hull which was one of the 20 largest
borough electorates in the country. He received as many votes as the other 2
candidates combined. By the next election in 1784 Wilberforce wanted to be
© Hull Local Studies Library 2006. All rights reserved. Text by Elaine Moll
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elected as one of the two members for Yorkshire, one of the most powerful
counties in England. He succeeded. James Boswell was there when he
made his speech in York Castle Yard. He said “I saw what seemed to be a
mere shrimp mount upon the table, but as I listened, he grew and grew, until
the shrimp became a whale”.
In the winter of 1784-5 Wilberforce went on a tour of France and Switzerland
with Isaac Milner, a clergyman, who he first knew when he was a pupil at the
Hull Grammar School. Milner had been an usher (a teacher) whilst his
brother had been headmaster. They read a book by Philip Doddridge, “The
Rise and Progress of Religion”, during their travels and this was the beginning
of a religious awakening in Wilberforce. During the summer recess he went to
the Continent again with Milner. This time they read the New Testament in
Greek and Wilberforce began to take Christianity seriously. He became an
Evangelical, that is a member of the Church of England who thought that
Christianity should be carried into every part of life. He considered becoming
a clergyman but was persuaded that he could do more for God as a Member
of Parliament. He realised how much time he had wasted at Cambridge and
began to re-educate himself, studying for 9 or 10 hours a day every summer.
After his conversion to Evangelical Christianity he looked at society with new
eyes and saw the corruption, the gambling and the drunkenness. Wilberforce
wanted to reform morals and to do that he obtained a Royal Proclamation
against vice and immorality, which was issued on 1 June 1787 by George III.
Wilberforce and some Evangelical friends then formed a society to implement
the proclamation.
It was through his friendship with Sir Charles Middleton that he became
interested in the slave trade. Middleton was one of two M.P.s who were
regarded as Evangelicals and it was through him that Wilberforce got to know
members of the Abolition Society, including Thomas Clarkson who had written
an essay on the subject in 1787. Granville Sharp, the chairman, needed
someone to raise the matter in Parliament and wrote to Wilberforce who
thought himself unequal to the task. However in the summer of 1787
Wilberforce, Lord Grenville and William Pitt, who by now was Prime Minister,
met at Pitt’s home. Pitt suggested to Wilberforce that he should put a motion
to the House on the subject of the slave trade.
Wilberforce knew that emancipation for the slaves was impossible; there were
too many people making huge profits from the plantations in the Americas.
The Abolitionists were appalled at how enslaved people were treated and
thought if they could stop the trade importing more slaves, the ones who were
already working on the plantations might be better treated. The traders sailed
from England to Africa with goods to trade with people there, slaves were
picked up and were shipped to the Americas in dreadful conditions. This was
known as the middle passage and it lasted between 40 and 69 days. The
slaves were stripped and men were chained together in pairs by their ankles.
They were treated as a cargo and packed in tightly. Disease was rife and the
many that died on the journey were thrown overboard. When they reached
the Americas the slaves were sold and the ships filled their holds with sugar,
© Hull Local Studies Library 2006. All rights reserved. Text by Elaine Moll
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tobacco and cotton to take back to Britain. Meanwhile the slaves would be
put to work on the plantations and planters would aim to get the maximum
amount of work out of them. They were treated harshly and whipped if they
were not working fast enough.
It was a very lucrative trade and many people saw the enslaved people as
commodities; a possession to use. Many of the plantation owners had
connections with Parliament. At the end of 1787 Wilberforce announced that
he would move for abolition in the next session of Parliament. He was
supported by William Pitt; leader of the government and by Charles James
Fox leader of the opposition. Unfortunately Wilberforce was taken ill and not
expected to survive. He did not return to Parliament until the following
November. He asked Pitt to put abolition forward but Pitt watered the idea
down and said that the House would look at it.
On 11 May 1789 Wilberforce made his speech against the slave trade. He
spoke for three and a half hours and claimed that Britain could no longer
plead ignorance of what was happening. He wanted reparations made to
Africa and suggested that a fairer way of trading should be set up. The
speech was published shortly afterwards and was widely read. The MPs
wanted more evidence and set up a committee to look into it; this was still
hearing evidence when an election was called.
Two months after Wilberforce’s speech the French Revolution started and
slaves on the French Caribbean island of Haiti rose up against their owners.
The government considered that this was the wrong time to consider abolition
as it would be seen as encouraging insurrection. Wilberforce raised the issue
of slavery again in 1791 and 1792 but without success. Although Pitt
supported Wilberforce’s efforts, by this time Britain was at war with France
and this was his real concern. This meant that the abolition of the slave trade
had to wait.
In 1792 Wilberforce’s friend and cousin, Henry Thornton bought a small estate
in Clapham called Battersea Rise. Wilberforce lived with him there for 5
years, other friends having houses on the estate. These like minded
Christians eventually became known as the Clapham Sect. They were all
involved with the abolition of the slave trade as well as other charitable
institutions which they either founded or supported.
Wilberforce stood as an independent Member of Parliament. This meant he
would not buy votes or privileges and had no allegiance to any particular
party. However he did believe that it was his duty to support the government
of the day if possible. He generally supported Pitt claiming that he only did
when he agreed with him.
As an Evangelical Christian Wilberforce tried to live his life in a godly manner.
He was a supporter of the British and Foreign Bible Society and also of the
Church Missionary Society. In April 1797 Wilberforce published a book
entitled ‘A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed
Christians in the Higher and Middle Classes in this country contrasted with
© Hull Local Studies Library 2006. All rights reserved. Text by Elaine Moll
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Real Christianity’. Religious works were not considered to be very popular
and 500 copies were produced. This first edition was sold out after a few
days and it went through five editions in six months. It was translated into
various languages and was a huge success, having a profound effect on
many people. The message of the book was that it was not enough to lead a
decent life and attend church on Sundays. A Christian must show their faith
in every aspect of their life. Wilberforce used the book to build a picture of his
ideal world.
In that same month Wilberforce met Barbara Spooner, the daughter of Isaac
Spooner, a banker, merchant and iron master from Birmingham. She was 20
and he was 38. They married on 30 May and moved into a house on the
Clapham estate, eventually producing six children. He was very fond of
children and was always willing to spend time with them. He was a very lively
man full of fun who would find time for everyone who wished to speak with
him.
By 1804 Wilberforce was demanding that the planters agree to a 5 year
suspension of the trade. They rejected the idea but the landowners were
beginning to worry about overproduction if more and more slaves were
brought in and more land was put into cultivation. The abolitionists drafted a
new bill, Clarkson collected the evidence they needed and Wilberforce
brought the bill before the House. This passed its third reading in the House
but the Cabinet decided it would have to wait a year before going to the Lords.
Pitt kept giving assurances to Wilberforce but not actually doing anything.
In January 1806 Pitt died. A new ministry emerged. Lord Grenville was
Prime Minister and Fox was Foreign Secretary. They had always supported
abolition and were keen to get the bill through Parliament.
In January 1807 Wilberforce published ‘A letter to Freeholders’ which restated
the abolition argument and the bill was presented to parliament. It was
decided to start the bill in the Lords this time and the Abolition Committee
worked hard to ensure that all their supporters were there to vote. On 10
February the bill was read for the second time and introduced into the
Commons the same night. The opponents of the bill tried to derail it by
suggesting that suspension for 5 years would be a better idea, but most of the
speeches were in favour of abolition. Sir Samuel Romilly, a fellow member
and abolitionist, paid homage to Wilberforce, comparing him favourably with
Napoleon. The bill was passed with a majority of 283. It then went to the
committee stage and back to the Lords. On 25 March 1807 the Abolition of
the Slave Trade Bill received Royal Assent.
Wilberforce had many other interests apart from slavery. He worked for
prison reform and was interested in charity schools and Sunday Schools. He
wanted to deal with the causes of poverty. He fought against climbing boys
being used to clean chimneys and with Robert Peel pushed through an act to
improve the conditions of Poor Law apprentice children in cotton mills. He
tried to end bull baiting and wanted to introduce compulsory smallpox
vaccinations. In later life he was involved with the founding of the Trustee
© Hull Local Studies Library 2006. All rights reserved. Text by Elaine Moll
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Savings Banks, the creation of the National Gallery and the founding of the
RSPCA.
Throughout the fight for abolition Wilberforce felt that Britain had treated Africa
harshly and should make reparations. He supported the Sierra Leone
Province of Freedom. The Abolition Committee wanted a self-governing
community in Sierra Leone to show that people who had been enslaved were
capable of governing themselves. A trading company was set up and
Wilberforce was a shareholder.
Three days after the Abolition Bill was passed Wilberforce put plans forward
to form an African Institute. This body would try to improve life for enslaved
people in the West Indies and act quickly over cruelty. However its main
concern was with West Africa.
By 1811 Wilberforce’s health was failing and the constituency of Yorkshire
was beginning to be too much for him. At the election of 1812 he was
returned as the MP for the pocket borough of Bramber in Sussex. By the
1820’s he knew that his health was failing and that he had to resign. In 1823
there was an insurrection in Demerara and a missionary called John Smith
was arrested and died in prison. There was a great outcry and a
parliamentary investigation. At this time Wilberforce had pneumonia but he
managed to rally and attend parliament. However he resigned owing to ill
health in 1825. He had hoped to finish the parliamentary session but it proved
impossible and he had to give in to the inevitable.
With his resignation he moved out of London and went to live at Hendon Park,
Highwood Hill near Mill Hill in North West London. The estate had 140 acres
of farm land and it was decided that Wilberforce’s eldest son, William should
go into business with a Major Close to run a large dairy farm. William Junior
had left university, having got into bad company and had then been studying
for the law but ill health had meant he could not carry on with his studies. The
Wilberforces were warned about Major Close but refused to take notice of his
reputation. However the farm lost money and in 1830 William Junior had to
leave England to escape his creditors. Wilberforce was determined to pay the
debts even though he could ill afford to do so. He had been giving large sums
of money for several years to build a church at Mill Hill (St. Paul’s) and had
reduced his tenants’ rents because of the economic conditions of the time.
He had also lent money to a friend and was the largest contributor to charities
in York. When his friends learnt of his difficulties they offered to contribute to
a recovery fund but Wilberforce refused, only accepting donations to St.
Paul’s church. He had to sell his house and move in with his sons. The
house in Hull was sold at this time, along with land in Beverley to pay for
pensions for their servants. It was agreed that Wilberforce and Barbara would
divide their time between their two sons, Robert in East Farleigh and Samuel
in Brighstone on the Isle of Wight.
Although retired from Parliament, Wilberforce still continued to do what he
could to end slavery. The strength of public feeling was growing. Meetings of
© Hull Local Studies Library 2006. All rights reserved. Text by Elaine Moll
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the annual Anti-Slavery Society usually attracted a small audience, but the
meeting held at the Freemason’s Hall, London in May 1830 attracted 2000
people with many more turned away at the door. Wilberforce was invited to
take the chair. It was the last time he would do so, by the next year he was
too ill to attend.
By 1833 he was very frail and had suffered from influenza. In the June he
travelled to London to consult a London Doctor. On the night of 26 July 1833
the bill for the abolition of slavery had its second reading in the House of
Commons. £20 million would be paid by the British government to purchase
the freedom of the slaves in the British colonies. The news was rushed to
Wilberforce who said ‘Thank God that I should have lived to witness a day in
which England is willing to pay £20 millions sterling for the abolition of slavery’
He died 3 days later on 29 July.
Almost at once the family received a letter from the Lord Chancellor and
signed by many members of both houses requesting that Wilberforce be
buried in Westminster Abbey. The family agreed and on 5 August 1833 he
was buried there. Thousands of Londoners wore mourning and lined the
streets and members of both houses followed the coffin down the aisle. His
memorial reads:
‘In an age fertile in great and good men, he was among the foremost of those
who fixed the character of their times- because to high and various talents…
he added the abiding eloquence of a Christian life’.
Selected biography
This is a very small selection of the books available, ask to see the
Wilberforce and slavery catalogue for a fuller selection.
Deverell, Liz. & Watkins, Gareth. Wilberforce and Hull (Hull: Kingston Press,
2000)
Furneaux, Robin. William Wilberforce (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1974)
Haigh, William (new biography of Wilberforce to be published 2007)
Hochschild, Adam. Bury the Chains: the British Struggle to Abolish Slavery
(London: Macmillan, 2005)
Lean, Garth. God’s Politician (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1980)
Pollock, John. Wilberforce (London: Constable, 1977)
© Hull Local Studies Library 2006. All rights reserved. Text by Elaine Moll
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Scharma, Simon. Rough Crossings: Britain, the slaves and the American
Revolution (London: BBC Books, 2005)
Tattersfield, Nigel. The forgotten trade: comprising the log of the Daniel and
Henry of 1700 and Accounts of the Slave Trade from the Minor Ports of
England, 1698-1725 (London: Jonathan Cape, 1991)
Walvin, James. Black Ivory: a History of British Slavery (London: Harper
Collins, 1992)
Warner, Oliver. William Wilberforce and His Times (London: Batsford, 1962)
Wilberforce, Robert & Wilberforce, Samuel, The life of William Wilberforce by
his sons…in Five Volumes (London: Murray, 1888)
Wilberforce, William. A letter on the abolition of the slave trade; addressed to
the freeholders and other inhabitants of Yorkshire (London: Hatchard, 1807)
Wilberforce, William. A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of
Professed Christians in the Higher and Middle Classes of this Country
Contrasted with Real Christianity. (London: Hodder, 1989)
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