A new TV documentary will examine the debate around the legacy of 18th Century politician Henry Dundas after renewed calls for the Melville Monument to be removed. s. of Robert Dundas† of Arniston by 2nd w. Anne, da. Sir Geoff Palmer challenges the arguments that the descendent of Henry Dundas, Robert (Bobby) Dundas gives to defend his ancestor. The present example is a good one. of Capt. Nicola Sturgeon has surpassed herself in these hard Covid times, but ... Henry Dundas's biographer rejects claims politician was against slavery, Michael Fry: Henry Dundas stood against the slave trade, this proves it. ; Edinburgh Univ. Family of the controversial conservative politician have said their ancestor has been treated unfairly, and wrongly associated with delaying the abolition of slavery. Given the renewed focus on Britain's involvement in the slave trade, and Henry Dundas's role in delaying its abolition in 1796 there has been debate about the appropriateness of his statue remaining 'as is' in Edinburgh. Secondly, I have an interest because I am also the author of the most recent biography of Dundas, published in 1993 by Edinburgh University Press. "In 2020 this was dedicated to the memory of the more than half a million Africans whose enslavement was a consequence of Henry Dundas's actions. The Category A listed column dominates St Andrew Square, in the heart of the New Town which Dundas helped to establish. Adam McVey says he would feel "no sense of loss" if the Henry Dundas statue was removed. 1793, Lady Jane Hope, da. Black Lives Matter graffiti on the statue of Henry Dundas in St Andrew's Square (Image: Andrew Perry) "As ancestors and family members, it is our duty." Le 7 juin 2020, lors d'une manifestation Black Lives Matter, le monument de Melville a été tagué par des militants anti-esclavage [2]. BBC Scotland will tonight broadcast a documentary called “Scotland, Slavery and Statues”, which deals with the current controversy over Henry… I had better declare my own interest, which has two aspects. 3da. He adds that had it not been for this amendment - made by Henry Dundas - the slave trade "could have been about for decades to come". He was an autocrat, imperialist and reactionary opponent of political reform in Scotland. of John, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun [S], s.p. "Slave trading by British ships was not abolished until 1807. "Effectively he has been made out to be a mass murderer when, in fact, he was in favour of abolishing slavery. Video. In Ireland, the same was true of Catholics and Presbyterians. Given the renewed focus on Britain's involvement in the slave trade, and Henry Dundas's role in delaying its abolition in 1796 there has been debate about the appropriateness of his statue remaining 'as is' in Edinburgh. until 1750; Edinburgh h.s. He reconciled his country to the Union of 1707 and so guided it into a global role it would never have found otherwise. educ. 1768 September 28, 1768. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Columnist Iain Macwhirter remarked that a powerful politician who is also a bit of a rascal made him sound preferable to the grimmer types who rule the UK nowadays. 49. 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He described him as "a lawyer with a sense of the possible", who "saw that the immediate abolition of slavery was impossible: there were simply too many established interests". But now clamour is growing for the removal of the statue of Henry Dundas, the 1st Viscount Melville, from St Andrew Square in Edinburgh as awareness has grown that he was instrumental in prolonging the slave trade involving the UK for many years. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, worked to frustrate efforts to end the trade by using his influence as home secretary, setting the move back 15 years. BBC News "Henry Dundas descendant defends ancestor's record" 14-6-20. 28 Apr. ; (2) 2 Apr. A 150ft column with a statue of the politician – known as the Melville Monument – stands in St Andrews Square and was vandalised during the Black Lives Matter protest in the Scottish capital on Sunday. Always a controversial figure, he made many enemies but also enjoyed high renown among a wider public. Melanie Newton Sir Tom Devine: Scapegoating of Henry Dundas on the issue of Scottish slavery is wrong - and BBC documentary was a miserable failure . I agree. Bobby Dundas spoke out after a row about an 1827 statue of Henry Dundas. The BBC’s programme is intended to explore these questions. Dundas also curbed democratic dissent in Scotland. "Henry Dundas was a man who was at the centre of a web of patronage that cast itself around the earth. Published from its offices at 200 Renfield Street Glasgow and printed in Scotland by Newsquest (Herald & Times) a division of Newsquest Media Group Ltd, registered in England & Wales with number 01676637 at Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe HP10 9TY – a Gannett company. 'Henry Dundas had his good sides and his bad sides but proved overall to be a benefactor of his country'. The slave trade could have been abolished decades later than it was had it not been for his ancestor, Bobby There are elements of our public life that just give rise to crooks, and perhaps there is something typically Celtic in the tendency. In a ministerial career spanning 30 years he dealt with almost every aspect of Scottish affairs, while also organising the British war effort in the struggle against revolutionary France. "This represents Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742 - 1811). Birth of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. Holocaust Memorial Day 2021: 'It's sad when I sit there alone' VideoHolocaust Memorial Day 2021: 'It's sad when I sit there alone'. I’m still not sure I will in fact appear, partly because I did not get on well with the producer and in answer to her questions gave answers that it struck me she was none too eager to hear – for instance, that Dundas had his good sides and his bad sides but proved overall to be a benefactor of his country. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here. It was reignited after anti-racism protests brought cities' colonial or slave-owning history to the forefront of public discussion. A Gannett Company. Dundas repealed the Scottish disabilities in 1793, and would have done the same for Ireland as part of the package for its political union with Great Britain in 1801. Dundas passed legislation to free them. Henry Dundas' actions ensured slavery continued for longer. A direct descendant of Henry Dundas has said the slave trade would have been abolished decades later had it not been for his ancestor. If Dundas had not, through his abilities, risen to the top levels of government and stayed there – the first of his countrymen since 1707 to do so – then he might well have made a political career as a reformer, like his contemporary William Wilberforce. cr.Visct. For instance, he greatly improved the conditions under which the sailors of the Royal Navy served their country. He was the first Secretary of State for War and became, in 1806, the last person to be impeached in the United Kingdom, for misappropriation of public money.Although acquitted, he never held public office again. This is a video on behalf of Sir Geoff Palmer to help encourage the Council to change the wording on the plaque of the Henry Dundas Statue, Edinburgh. Who are the Dundas family? Birth of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. Sir Tom Devine: Scapegoating of Henry Dundas on the issue of Scottish slavery is wrong - and BBC documentary was a miserable failure. Melville 24 Dec. 1802. "Dundas was a contentious figure, provoking controversies that resonate to this day. Feedback about HENRY DUNDAS, BBC Home Service Basic, 16.00, 4 May 1942. I wanted to write it because he had distinguished himself in activities that made him one of the leaders of his age in Scotland. Brian Monteith "Obliterating our history by removing statues is path to repeating mistakes" The Scotsman, 15-6-20. It was erected in 1821, 14 years after his death. A member of the Cabinet under William Pitt the younger, Dundas was the perfect figure for a delicate task it wanted performed. Collectively they paid for his memorial, the statue that still stands today atop a column in St Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh, his home town. Dundas was a crucial figure in the expansion of British influence in India and dominated the East India Company, with the monument in his honour built in … Meanwhile, it would show that the vested interests involved were getting a hearing. The Category A listed column dominates St Andrew Square, in the heart of the New Town which Dundas helped to establish. He was an outstanding war leader for the whole UK against Napoleonic France, and in particular made our victory at the Battle of Trafalgar possible. Prof Brian Young, of Oxford University, has also written about Henry Dundas. VideoThe dressmaker helping Australia with modified masks, A raccoon, pony and other White House pets. HE had to be taken seriously because he was in parliamentary politics a Mr Fix-it, a man less interested in government as a branch of philosophy and more as a matter of practical achievement. In Bristol, a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was removed by protesters. ©Copyright 2001-2021. Yet the case I could make for Dundas in the present dispute has nothing to do with any of these points. With historians also debating the actions of Henry Dundas, the programme asks how Scotland as a country can come to an agreement on this and … While home secretary in 1792 and first Secretary of State for War in 1796 he was instrumental in deferring the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade. BBC Scotland will tonight broadcast a documentary called “Scotland, Slavery and Statues”, which deals with the current controversy over Henry Dundas. "Despite this, the monument before you to Henry Dundas was funded by voluntary contribution from officers, petty officers, seamen and marines and erected in 1821, with the statue placed on top in 1827. Holocaust Memorial Day 2021: 'It's sad when I sit there alone' Video, Holocaust Memorial Day 2021: 'It's sad when I sit there alone', Travellers must prove journey is essential - Patel, Gymnast's 'black excellence' routine goes viral, Boy sentenced for racist coronavirus street attack, Police detain 200 after deadly India farmer protests, Trapped Chinese miners saved after knocking on pipe, Juno actor Elliot Page to divorce Emma Portner, The stories behind the statues targeted in protests, statue of slave trader Edward Colston was removed by protesters, Last week Edinburgh City Council proposed adding a plaque. A member of the UK Government, he was, in particular, the ruler of Scotland around the end of the 18th century. Henry Dundas, nicknamed the ‘Great Tyrant’, used his position as home secretary, to set the move back 15 years in 1792. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community. Henry had 5 siblings: Commander Frederick George Dundas, Canon Charles Leslie Dundas, George Albert Dundas, Sidney Dundas and Margaret Adelaide Dundas. Read about our approach to external linking. The first is that I was invited to appear on the programme, and indeed was interviewed for it. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. READ MORE: Henry Dundas's biographer rejects claims politician was against slavery, The political need was to give them some reason for moderating their hostility, so as to allow the abolitionists their first victory of some kind. Henry Dundas (1742 – 1811) was a Conservative politician, Scottish Advocate and the first Secretary of State for War - some historians claim that he delayed the abolition of slavery in 1792. EU demands AstraZeneca vaccine doses made in UK1, Travellers must prove journey is essential - Patel2, Gymnast's 'black excellence' routine goes viral3, Boy sentenced for racist coronavirus street attack4, Hogging vaccines endangers all nations, warns SA5, Biden to halt new drilling on federal lands6, Police detain 200 after deadly India farmer protests7, Why convicting Trump just got a lot harder8, Trapped Chinese miners saved after knocking on pipe9, Juno actor Elliot Page to divorce Emma Portner10. Dundas had nothing to do with the eventual success of slave trade abolition. But King George III refused to accept his Cabinet’s advice on this and they, including Dundas, had to resign. He was a controversial figure during his own lifetime, a defender of the British Empire and its expansion. Henry passed away on November 16 1908, at age 65 in Hampshire, England. Bobby Dundas added that his ancestor was a "politician of vision and integrity" who had "no personal involvement in the slave trade". Furthermore, some locations named after Henry Dundas might come under pressure to address their association with his name. The Melville Monument is a 150-foot high monumental column.One of the most prominent memorials in Edinburgh, it commemorates Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, whose statue surmounts the column.. © 2021 BBC. These MPs had thrown out all previous abolitionist motions. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Menu. In moving against the slave trade, the government had to take care not to alienate the many backbench MPs with connections in the City of London, where much of the wealth was held in the form of distant plantations and the wretched blacks who worked them. Henry Dundas, the first Viscount Melville, died in 1811. One reason Dundas could be entrusted with doing a deal was that he had often done deals in the past, especially if the deal extended the liberties of the subject. What the term would actually come to mean might be decided later. Until recently, few Scots who stood under Edinburgh’s Melville monument or sauntered along Dundas Street; Canadians who walked down Toronto’s Dundas Street or gathered in Dundas Square; and residents of Dundas, Ontario, knew or cared about Henry Dundas, first Viscount Melville, (1742-1811) and his support for the slave trade. Henry Dundas, above, the 1st Viscount Melville, is commemorated at the Melville Monument in Edinburgh. 1768 September 28, 1768. Dundas' critics have said the MP's gradualist approach was instrumental in deferring the abolition of slavery. A descendent of Scottish aristocrat Henry Dundas hit back against accusations that his ancestor supported slavery and said that the practice in the UK would have been abolished decades later if not for his distant relative, the BBC reported on Sunday. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Scotland thereby abolished slavery on its own soil, except in a single detail that still allowed white people to be held in bondage if they happened to have been born into it, an outdated custom among miners and salt panners. He was the Scottish Lord Advocate and an MP for Edinburgh and Midlothian, and the First Lord of the Admiralty. Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, Baron Dunira PC FRSE (28 April 1742, Arniston, Midlothian – 28 May 1811, Edinburgh) was a Scottish advocate and Tory politician. On his debut in 1881 he captained Scotland to a 6-1 win over England at the Oval, England’s heaviest defeat on home soil. With historians also debating the actions of Henry Dundas, the programme asks how Scotland as a country can come to an agreement on this and … There have recently been calls for his statue to be toppled, or at least for its column to be adorned with an extra inscription warning us not to treat him as a man that modern Scots would like to meet: too reactionary, too imperialist, etc. 20 June 2020. The dressmaker helping Australia with modified masks. During his time as Home Secretary Dundas is said to have proposed that slavery be … As it was, he became Pitt’s right-hand man in a government that been elected with a mandate for radical reform in the UK, but saw too many of its hopes dashed as the French Revolution dragged it into 20 years of war with an old enemy in a new guise. Anne Strange. He was impeached in the United Kingdom for misappropriation of public money and although acquitted, he never held public office again. "This represents Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742 - 1811). He entered the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth in 1815, and in February 1818 joined the Ister at Leith. The Melville papers - which include the documents of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville - contain about 11,000 records which span 150 years. ; adv. 1742 April 28, 1742. This 10’ video explains how Henry Dundas delayed the abolition of slavery for fifteen years and supported slavery as a means to ensure the economic benefit of the UK. Henry Dundas (1742 – 1811) was a Conservative politician, Scottish Advocate and the first Secretary of State for War - some historians claim that he delayed the abolition of slavery in 1792. Who's behind the recent killings in Iraq? of Sir William Gordon, 1st Bt., of Invergordon, Ross. 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