Edward Colston (1636–1721) was an English merchant, slave trader, philanthropist, and Tory Member of Parliament, born in Bristol, England, on November 2, 1636. As the youngest of at least 15 children of William Colston, a prosperous merchant and High Sheriff of Bristol, and Sarah Batten, he grew up in a wealthy family with deep ties to Bristol’s mercantile community. His life, marked by both significant commercial success and controversial involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, remains a polarizing legacy, particularly in his home city of Bristol.
Colston’s early years were shaped by Bristol’s bustling port and the disruptions of the English Civil War. Around 1642, his family relocated to their estate in Winterbourne, north of Bristol, before moving to London. There, Colston likely attended Christ’s Hospital school, a prestigious institution for the sons of merchants. In 1654, at age 18, he was apprenticed to the Mercers’ Company in London, a guild of textile merchants, and by 1673, he was formally enrolled as a member. These early experiences laid the foundation for his career in international trade.
By 1672, Colston had established himself as a merchant in London, trading textiles, oil, wine, sherry, and fruit with Spain, Portugal, Italy, and North Africa. He also dealt in silk with Virginia and cod from Newfoundland, building a lucrative business. After his father died in 1681, Colston inherited his brother’s mercantile operations in Bristol’s Small Street and became a partner in a sugar refinery in St. Peter’s Churchyard, processing sugar produced by enslaved laborers in St. Kitts. Although he never resided permanently in Bristol, he maintained strong ties to the city, joining the Society of Merchant Venturers in 1683 and making loans to the Bristol Corporation.
Colston’s most controversial legacy stems from his role in the Royal African Company (RAC), which held a monopoly on English trade along the west coast of Africa from 1662 to 1698. Joining the RAC in 1680, Colston rose to become deputy governor (1689–1690) and played a senior role until 1692. During his tenure, the RAC transported an estimated 84,500 enslaved Africans, including 12,000 children, to the Caribbean and Americas, with over 19,300 dying during the brutal Middle Passage. The company branded enslaved people with its initials on their chests, a stark symbol of dehumanization. Colston’s profits from these activities formed a significant portion of his wealth, though the exact proportion remains unclear.
Later in life, as a Tory MP for Bristol (1710–1713), Colston advocated for the continuation of the slave trade, defending Bristol’s economic interests. In his final years, he invested in the South Seas Company (1714–1720), which transported an estimated 15,931 enslaved Africans, with nearly 2,980 dying en route. His brother, Thomas Colston, was also involved in early slave-trading voyages from Bristol as early as 1662, indicating a family connection to the trade.
Colston’s wealth funded extensive charitable works, earning him a reputation as one of Bristol’s most prominent philanthropists. During his lifetime, he supported schools, almshouses, hospitals, and Anglican churches in Bristol, London, and beyond. Upon his death on October 11, 1721, at his home in Mortlake, Surrey, he bequeathed approximately £71,000 (equivalent to over £16 million today) to charitable causes, nearly matching the £100,000 left to his family. His endowments led to the establishment of institutions like Colston’s Girls’ School (now Montpelier High School) and supported existing organizations, such as the Society of Merchant Venturers, which managed his charitable trusts.
Colston’s philanthropy was commemorated widely in Bristol. A bronze statue, designed by John Cassidy, was erected in 1895, and landmarks like Colston Hall, Colston Tower, and Colston’s School bore his name. Annual ceremonies, including Colston’s Day on November 13, celebrated his contributions, and a regional bread bun, the Colston bun, was named after him. However, his role in the slave trade, first documented by H.J. Wilkins in a 1920 biography, sparked growing criticism from the 1990s onward.
By the late 20th century, campaigns like Countering Colston highlighted the moral conflict of honoring a slave trader. In 1998, his statue was defaced with the words “SLAVE TRADER” scrawled on its base. Protests intensified, and in 2017, Colston Hall announced plans to drop his name. On June 7, 2020, during Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of George Floyd, the statue was toppled, defaced, and thrown into Bristol Harbour. It was later recovered and displayed at the M Shed museum with protest placards, reflecting ongoing debates about his legacy. Other tributes, including street and school names, have since been changed or contested.
Colston’s defenders argue that his philanthropy benefited Bristol and that his actions must be judged against the norms of his era, when slavery was widely accepted in Europe. Critics, including historians like David Olusoga, counter that “Colston was a slave trader and a murderer,” emphasizing the human cost of his wealth and the enduring impact of slavery on Black communities. The toppling of his statue in 2020 marked a pivotal moment in Britain’s reckoning with its colonial past, prompting broader discussions about how to commemorate historical figures tied to slavery.
Colston never married and had no heirs, directing much of his wealth to charity. A devout high Anglican and Tory, he was concerned with countering religious dissent and supporting traditional institutions. He died at 84 in Mortlake, and his body was returned to Bristol for burial at All Saints Church, where a tomb designed by James Gibbs honors him. His funeral and memorials underscored his status as a patriarchal figure in Bristol’s elite circles.
Colston operated in an era when slavery was condoned by European elites, predating Britain’s abolition movement, which began in the late 18th century. The Royal African Company, backed by King Charles II and other prominent figures, was a cornerstone of England’s early slave trade. Bristol itself was a major port for trade, with records of slave trafficking dating back to the 11th century. Colston’s wealth, like that of many contemporaries, was intertwined with this system, complicating efforts to separate his philanthropy from its sources.