If you cycle through the small pretty Lincs village of Stubton close to the Notts border you would never guess its links with slavery

It was the home of Sir Robert Heron who lives at Stubton Hall. A baronet and MP. Also an extremely rich man who rebuilt the hall and kept a menagerie. What’s not recorded locally was his connection with slavery

University College London has created a database of the compensation given in 1835 to the owners of slaves and the financiers of slavery. Sir Robert features prominently within in it, receiving with others substantial compensation for estates in Grenada.

Passed this memorial to him tonight and in light of the recent efforts to raise awareness of how much wealth got passed on to the beneficiaries of slavery it got me thinking how important it is to create a new narrative locally

Local histories record this man as some quirky rich guy, blue blood and exotic animal keeper. The reality was he was some one who grew rich off the misery of others far away and his wealth from it is still visible today

I suspect many locally will resist raising this as an issue. One idea I have is creating a cycle route around the county to highlight the beneficiaries of slavery? Perhaps with visitors arriving in places asking questions about slavery links it will raise awareness?

In any event I think it’s time for Lincolnshire people to realise slavery was not some distant thing, but something that left its mark in its historic buildings and heritage, financed by the misery of others.