Bristol Slave Tokens

A limited edition of hand crafted Blue Glass Slave Tokens are available to

 descendants of the following African tribes ,

 to commemorate the Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave movement.  

Photo by "Iain Sim LRPS" : www.ifs-photography.co.uk 

They are fired in kilns using the original manufacturing methods of the

 17^th century.

Sandstone and raw materials were brought to the medieval port ,

from the nearby caves( where Ivory tusks from Africa were stored )

The 3 miles of passages run under the slave traders houses.

Here from as early as 1675 ,glass bottles were manufactured to hold gin and

 the rum brought back from the Sugar islands in the Caribbean .

They were made as a form of currency to trade for slaves with the

African kings stretching far along the Gold or Guinea Coast to Biafra

 and the Congo at the13 English slave forts of.

.JAMES, CHARLES, BENCE ISLAND , YORK , DIXCOTE, ENGLISH,

CAPE COAST , ROYAL,  JAMES,WYDAH, NEW CALIBAR,

BONNY AND OLD CALABAR

The 16 tribes involved were…  The Ashanti , Awakim, Efik, Fons, Fanti,

Hausa, Ibo, Ibibio, Kru, Mandingos, Mende, Serer, Seke, Temne,

Wolos and Yoruba

Each oblong shaped bottle together with a brass Manilla bracelet

and a copper pot for cooking was worth the value of a human being.

.Over 2.4 million were transported by Bristol slavers to the new Colonies

 One third perished on the dangerous crossing of the Atlantic ocean

and were fed to the sharks waiting below

The individual token is stamped with the official seal used on the

 ships papers before the vessel could leave the port

 by the Kings tax collector. The crown seal dates from 1461

 Each glass slave token is mounted

In an oval brass presentation frame,

with its own Certificate of Origin

For more information tel:07950566483