American Slave Trade Records and Other Papers of the Tarleton Family, 1678-1838 - Key Data

The Tarleton family were influential merchants in Liverpool during the 18th century. The patriarch of the family, John Tarleton, was a slave trader and slave owner. The main focus of these papers is on their interests in Britain and the West Indies. Their trade also gave them social standing and influence. One of them became the mayor of Liverpool and another family member considered standing as an MP. Through revealing merchants' social and financial gains from the slave trade, these papers show how the two combined in Liverpool society.