A webinar organised by the URC History Society in conjunction with the Legacies of Slavery work and Global and Intercultural Ministries.

The Demerara Slave rebellion, of which the main protagonists were Congregationalists, was an uprising involving more than 10,000 enslaved people that took place in the colony of Demerara-Essequibo, in Guyana. The rebellion began on 18 August 1823, and lasted for two days. In part the slaves were reacting to poor treatment and a desire for freedom; in addition, there was a widespread, mistaken belief that Parliament had passed a law for emancipation, but it was being withheld by the colonial rulers. Instigated chiefly by Jack Gladstone, a slave at "Success" plantation, the rebellion also involved his father, Quamina, and other prominent members of their Congregational Church. Its English pastor, John Smith, was implicated.

Speakers: the Revd Dr Michael Jagessar, well known to many in the URC, and Professor David Reynolds of Cambridge University, who has been working on the Legacies of Slavery for the URC.

This is an open meeting, and all are very welcome.

For the zoom link, please email michael.hopkins@urc.org.uk