The earliest enslaved person in Glasgow?

In 1705, the Glaswegian businessman, John ‘Bass’ Spreull published an account of Scotland’s prospects for international trade. He suggested that Scotland should make appropriate trade links with the West Indies, Virginia, the Guinea coast and what he called the ‘Negroes Coast’, by which he probably meant West African countries such as Senegal where European countries had established a trade in enslaved human beings.

Spreull promoted a trade of Scottish and Glaswegian made metals, linens, figurines, alcohol and tobacco in exchange for ‘black negroes’, elephant teeth (ivory), beeswax, honey and gum Arabic. He also suggested trading Scottish weapons, metalwork, salted fish, meat and textiles to the Guinea Coast in exchange for gold. He argued that Glasgow made plaid and bonnets ‘may do for their Kings and Queens’.

Glasgow Museums has two objects representing John Spreull. A painted wooden board from the old Merchants House records his bequest of £100 Scots to the city’s poor in 1722 (PP.1976.19.2).

There is also a drawing of land once called Spreull’s Court, in Trongate (OG.1957.21.42). Trongate was the area where the city’s Tolbooth was, and where the city’s Town Council met. The objects indicate that Spreull was a member of the city’s business community, and lived close to its political community, but did he ever see an enslaved person himself?

The answer is maybe.

John Spreull was an investor in the ill-fated Darien scheme in which the Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies tried to establish a plantation in Panama, as was the Duke of Montrose. The Duke showed off his social status and trading ambitions by keeping an enslaved black servant at his house in Glasgow’s Drygate, later called ‘Duke’s Lodging’. Glasgow Museums has several watercolour paintings of this property.