Explore this wonderful collaboration between the Beniba Centre for Slavery Studies and the National Trust for Scotland via this BBC news story.

Encountering Children of Empire   

The Beniba Centre for Slavery Studies and the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) jointly organised a two-day symposium at Culzean Castle last week honouring the memory and legacy of Scipio Kennedy. Scipio was enslaved and brought to Ayrshire as a child in 1705 and lived on the Culzean Estate for the rest of his life. The Beniba Centre was named after a woman and mother who was forced to work on the Jamaican plantation of a University of Glasgow rector. We do not know the name of Beniba’s child, but the centre and its members are dedicated to remembering their lives and addressing the legacies of slavery and empire. This symposium was a significant part of that work.

The event brought academics, artists, educators and curators together to talk about the history of Black and Indigenous children and childhoods and think about how to better represent children in heritage spaces and the school curriculum. Beniba Centre Director, Dr Peggy Brunache, led a stimulating closing discussion, while centre member Dr Shantel George chaired a panel. Dr Christine Whyte (History, Humanities) helped organise the event along with Dr Jennifer Melville (NTS) and Claire Hammond (NTS and graduate of Galsgow’s MSc in Gender History). The speakers and workshop sessions explored new perspectives on children’s history, highlighted the importance of dignified and respectful treatment of children’s legacies, and sought to centre the agency of enslaved and colonised children in resistance and rebellion. 

Uncovering these histories enriches our understanding of well-known places like Culzean Castle and helps us understand our place in a complex and connected world.

First published: 20 September 2023

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