Somerset vs Stewart: A turning point in British abolitionism
Discover how a daring escape and 1772 court case challenged Britain’s stance on slavery and set off a global abolitionist movement.
Image: Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice of England | Public Domain
Did a courtroom showdown in 1772 set the stage for Britain’s journey toward abolishing slavery? That year, Somerset vs Stewart hit the Court of King’s Bench and led to a historic ruling that challenged the institution of slavery.
James Somerset, an enslaved man from West Africa, was at the centre of the case. He’d been forcibly brought to the American colonies (and eventually to England) by his 'owner' Charles Stewart. Somerset seized an opportunity to escape but his recapture led to a legal battle that forced Britain to examine its relationship with slavery.
Britain’s complicated bond with slavery
Britain’s economy was heavily reliant on the transatlantic slave trade in the 1700s, with profits from enslaved Africans supporting its position as a global powerhouse. No specific law permitted slavery within England, though it was generally tolerated.
That is until new abolitionist ideas began to gain traction…
Somerset’s daring escape and imprisonment
James Somerset’s journey to an English courtroom was far from typical. He was taken from West Africa and sold into slavery at a young age, eventually 'purchased' in Boston by a Scottish customs officer called Charles Stewart. Somerset was sent to Virginia, where he endured years of forced labour before Stewart took him to England in 1769. Seizing his chance, Somerset escaped in 1771 with help from English abolitionists.
Somerset managed to avoid capture for several months but eventually, Stewart’s agents detained him. The plan was to ship him off to Jamaica to be resold. Only this time, Somerset had a powerful network of English abolitionists on his side ready to spearhead a court case.
The trial: Somerset’s case and the fight for freedom
The Somerset vs Stewart case landed before Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice of England, in 1772. Representing Somerset was Granville Sharp, a prominent abolitionist whose legal reform efforts had already challenged the boundaries of English law around slavery. His argument was simple enough. Since English law did not explicitly recognise slavery, Somerset’s status as a 'slave' shouldn’t be upheld.
Lord Mansfield was tasked with decision that could either rock the British economy or defy centuries of injustice. On one side, he faced pressure from abolitionists to undermine slavery. On the other, powerful merchants and colonial stakeholders (i.e. wealthy individuals with economic ties to the institution of slavery) were anxious about what a ruling in Somerset’s favour might mean.
On 22nd June 1772, a verdict was decided. Mansfield declared 'no master ever was allowed here to take a slave by force to be sold abroad'.
Essentially, he ruled that slavery was incompatible with English common law. It was a monumental moment, one that resonates powerfully during Black History Month. Had Mansfield ruled otherwise, the British abolitionist momentum might have slowed, England’s stance on slavery firmly bound to the whims of wealthy merchants.
The impact on the abolitionist movement
The ruling didn’t abolish slavery outright. But Somerset vs Stewart was a huge victory for the British abolitionist movement. For starters, Mansfield’s decision prevented enslaved people in England from being forcibly removed. It also set a powerful precedent in Britain and undoubtedly inspired international leaders like Abraham Lincoln in the future.
Granville Sharp and his allies celebrated the ruling and saw it as proof that British society was beginning to question the morality, not to mention legality, of slavery. They didn’t stop there. Sharp and other activists used the momentum to lobby Parliament and lay the groundwork for the eventual ban on the British slave trade in 1807. Next came the full abolition of slavery across the British Empire in 1833, followed by the abolition of slavery in the United States in 1865.
Why don’t we hear more about Somerset vs Stewart?
Somerset vs Stewart was hugely significant, yet it doesn’t get as much attention as other abolitionist victories. Why? Partly due to its limited immediate effect. Mansfield’s ruling didn’t abolish slavery in England. It just restricted the rights of 'owners' to forcibly deport enslaved people.
Moreover, later legislative victories like the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act and the Slavery Abolition Act tend to overshadow Somerset’s case. But make no mistake. This case was pivotal. It sparked genuine change in British perspectives on slavery and helped pave the way for racial equality campaigners like Dr. Harold Moody.
A first step towards freedom
The freedom granted to James Somerset wasn’t just a personal victory but a symbolic one. It reverberated across the Atlantic and inspired abolitionists around the world. The case serves as a reminder of how a single moment of courage — like Somerset’s escape and his supporters’ challenge — can ignite a global movement for change.
