Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Science

Samuel Pepys censored his links to slavery, new study reveals

The fact that Samuel Pepys owned at least two enslaved people in 17th-century London is no secret. In some of his personal letters he was unashamedly open about this. In September 1688, he told a ship's captain that neither "whipping or fetters" had reformed a "mischievous" slave in his household. H...

Samuel Pepys censored his links to slavery, new study reveals
Image: Phys.org
The fact that Samuel Pepys owned at least two enslaved people in 17th-century London is no secret. In some of his personal letters he was unashamedly open about this. In September 1688, he told a ship's captain that neither "whipping or fetters" had reformed a "mischievous" slave in his household. He asked the captain to feed the man on "hard meat, till you can dispose of him in some plantation as a rogue."

Originally published at Phys.org

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