As part of our continuing exploration of the College’s association with wealthy individuals in the 17th and 18th centuries, we have established that our Holwell fund was created by donations from a former Fellow called John Wilson. Wilson invested in the transatlantic slave trade in enslaved African persons and benefitted financially from it. He bequeathed his wealth to the College in a fund named after the parish, Holwell, where he served in Holy orders.
This individual was brought to our attention through UCL’s Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery. We continue to explore our history with our own Archivists and Historians, as well as drawing on the expertise of academics at other institutions.
