American Slave Trade Records and Other Papers of the Tarleton Family, 1678–1838

American Slave Trade Records and Other Papers of the Tarleton Family, 1678–1838 contains letters, annual reports, and supplementary materials from the influential Tarleton family, revealing their involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, with a particular focus on Liverpool and the West Indies. 

The Tarletons emerged as one of the prominent merchant families in Liverpool. The papers in this collection highlight the financial and social gains amassed by the family due to investments in overseas trade, notably the transatlantic slave trade. The documents also illuminate the political power attained by family members such as Clayton Tarleton, who was elected Mayor of Liverpool in 1792, and John Tarleton, who was elected to parliament that same year. 

The documents in this collection contain a wealth of information, including: material regarding John Tarleton’s proposed standing for parliament, papers from Clayton Tarleton’s mayoralty of Liverpool, annual reports from Tarleton family members, a plan of the family’s Belfield Estate in the West Indies, and a collection of settlements, wills, and deeds relating to property. These papers provide students and researchers with unique insights into the Tarleton family and their activities. The collection likewise casts light on Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and the economic gains made from it during this period.