The descendants of Victorian-era prime minister William Gladstone are planning a journey to the Caribbean to express regret for the historical involvement of their ancestor in the slave trade.

John Gladstone, William's father, was a prominent slave owner in the British West Indies during his time.

Charlie Gladstone, the great-great-great grandson of John, expressed feeling deeply disturbed upon discovering his family's connection to slave ownership.

"We cannot offer any justification for his actions," Charlie stated.

Charlie Gladstone, whose family's ancestral estate is situated at Hawarden in Flintshire, intends to travel to Guyana, South America, accompanied by five other family members. Their goal is to extend an apology for John's ownership of enslaved Africans, as reported by The Observer. Additionally, they reportedly plan to contribute reparations to support further research into the lasting impacts of slavery.

Who Was John Gladstone?

John Gladstone, a Scottish merchant, amassed a significant fortune through Demerara sugar plantations. He had hundreds of enslaved individuals working on his plantations in the years leading up to emancipation.

The 1823 Demerara rebellion, which occurred on one of Gladstone's plantations, is believed by some historians to have played a role in the eventual end of slavery. The British colony of Demerara later became part of Guyana.

Following the abolition of slavery in 1833, John received the largest compensation payment issued by the Slave Compensation Commission, amounting to approximately £93,000 – equivalent to around £10 million in modern times.

In 1831, William Gladstone, a four-time Liberal prime minister during the 19th century, advocated for compensation to be given to slave owners in his inaugural Commons speech.

By 1850, however, William had undergone a transformation. He described himself as a "changed man," denouncing slavery as "the foulest crime that taints the history of mankind."

Charlie Gladstone told The Observer, "John Gladstone committed crimes against humanity. This is indisputable."

"The best course of action is to contribute to making the world a better place, and one way to begin is by issuing this apology on his behalf," he continued.

"He was a reprehensible individual – driven by greed and dominance. There is no defense for his actions." Photo by LJMcK, Wikimedia commons.