Oxford college faces pressure to reflect its colonial past
Student activists demand renaming of library and removal of statue of its slave-owning benefactor
AN OXFORD University college has commissioned a plaque to remember the victims of slavery after students became concerned about the colonial role of one of its early benefactors.
All Souls College intends to erect a memorial tablet outside the Codrington Library, which was endowed by slave-owner Christopher Codrington, which will say: “In memory of those who worked in slavery on the Codrington plantations in the West Indies.”
It is the latest in a series of steps taken by the college to acknowledge the legacy of Codrington, a sugar plantation magnate based in Barbados who, in 1710, bequeathed part of his fortune to buy books and build the college library which still bears his name.
The move comes after a campaign led by Common Ground Oxford, a student group that aims to examine the university’s colonial past, announced that it wanted the library to be renamed and called for Codrington’s marble statue to be removed.
Last year, Oluwafemi Nylander, a prominent Rhodes Must Fall campaigner, stood shirtless outside the college to protest about Codrington’s legacy. He wore a chain around his neck and had “All Slaves College” painted on his chest in blood-red paint.
In a planning application to Oxford city council, the bursar of All Souls, Dr Sarah Beaver, said the plaque is intended to “serve as a reminder” that “while the college remains grateful to Christopher Codrington for the generous benefaction that enabled the Codrington Library to be built, Codrington’s wealth was derived in large part from estates which were dependent on slave labour”.
Common Ground Oxford said that while the steps taken by All Souls go “in the right direction”, such “tokenistic” actions serve only to “bolster its reputation and justify further inaction”.
A group spokesman said: “We accept these are good steps in the right direction, but we want to draw attention to the fact that more needs to be done. We want to push for change, such as the renaming of the Codrington Library and the relocating of his statue to somewhere like a museum where it can be understood in its colonial context.”
Founded by Henry VI in 1438, All
Souls is one of the most prestigious and wealthy colleges at Oxford University with endowments of more than £350million. It is a graduate-only college, and members automatically become fellows.
The idea of erecting a plaque arose from a conference held last year to discuss Codrington’s legacy with members of the local community.
All Souls has also launched an annual scholarship scheme, funding graduates from the Caribbean to study at Oxford, alongside a five-year grant for a higher education college located in Barbados.
The row over Christopher Codrington echoes the Rhodes Must Fall campaign in which Oxford students called for a statue sited at Oriel College of Cecil Rhodes, the Victorian imperialist in southern Africa whose legacy still funds Rhodes scholarships for overseas students, to be removed.
The governing body of Oriel, which owns the statue, ruled out its removal after furious donors reacted by threatening to withdraw gifts and bequests worth more than £100million if it was taken down.
On the latest flashpoint, a spokesman for All Souls said: “The college wishes to provide a public statement and reminder to all who enjoy the beauty of the buildings and the outstanding collections of the library that they were originally funded by wealth which had its origins principally in slave labour.
“Along with other measures, the college has therefore decided to seek permission to erect a memorial to those who worked in slavery on the Codrington plantations.”
The spokesman added that there were no plans to remove the statue or rename the library, adding: “The Codrington Library is for students and researchers. Its name and its statues record and reflect facts of history which, as with the history of slavery itself, cannot be changed.”