Robert Aldworth
Encyclopedia
Robert Aldworth was a Bristol
-born English
merchant
and philanthropist
. Much of his wealth, although used often for generous purposes, was acquired through the trade and exploitation of slaves
. He became Mayor of Bristol in 1609.
He was involved in the first sugar processing business in Bristol, England, where sugar was processed in 'sugar houses'. Aldworth’s sugar house refined sugar produced by slaves from Spanish
and Portuguese
plantations in Madeira
, Brazil
and the Azores
.
His tomb is in St Peters Church in the centre of Bristol had sugar loaves carved on it.
Aldworth and his relative Thomas Aldworth, were members of the Society of Merchant Venturers
, a group dating back to the 16th century to promote and protect Bristol merchants and trade. This included involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
-born English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. Much of his wealth, although used often for generous purposes, was acquired through the trade and exploitation of slaves
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. He became Mayor of Bristol in 1609.
He was involved in the first sugar processing business in Bristol, England, where sugar was processed in 'sugar houses'. Aldworth’s sugar house refined sugar produced by slaves from Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
plantations in Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
.
His tomb is in St Peters Church in the centre of Bristol had sugar loaves carved on it.
Aldworth and his relative Thomas Aldworth, were members of the Society of Merchant Venturers
Society of Merchant Venturers
The Society of Merchant Venturers is a private entrepreneurial and charitable organisation in the English city of Bristol, which dates back to the 13th century...
, a group dating back to the 16th century to promote and protect Bristol merchants and trade. This included involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.