Charlie & Caroline Gladstone // 1843 magazine.

Charlie and Caroline Gladstone photographed at Hawarden Castle in North Wales.

Charlie’s great – great – grandfather was William Gladstone, the Liberal prime minister . Less well known is William’s father, Sir John Gladstone, a merchant and slaveholder. In 2020 the family was forced to confront the past after protests erupted following the murder of George Floyd . The statue of Edward colston, a 17th century slave owner was torn down in Bristol and people called for the removal of the statute of William Gladstone. After the slave trade was abolished in 1833 , the British government compensated 40000 slave owners , financed by a loan that wasn’t fully repaid until 2015. Gladstone received the largest payout of £124million.

In 2023, the Gladstones travelled to Guyana to apologise for their forebear. At one time, John Gladstone had over 2500 Africans enslaved on sugar plantations in Guyana and Jamaica. The trip included a televised apology to the nation from Charlie and meetings with everyone from the prime minster to Afro-Guyanese elders. The Gladstones are part of a growing group of people who want to make amends for the crimes of their ancestors by acknowledging and apologising for the crimes , as well as through donating money towards educational institutions in the countries affected.

Shot for @1843mag to accompany an interesting and insightful article by Charlie McCann.