Thomas Leyland was a British slave trader, banker, and politician whose wealth and influence in 18th-century Liverpool were largely built on the back of the transatlantic slave trade. His journey to immense wealth began with a stroke of luck in 1776 when he won £20,000 in a lottery. But what was fortune for Leyland spelled disaster for thousands of Africans. He used his winnings to fund a brutal slave trading empire, forcibly transporting over 22,000 Africans across the Atlantic in chains.
Thomas Leyland was born around 1752 in Knowsley, a village near Liverpool. Little is documented about his childhood, but he emerged as a merchant in Liverpool in 1774, initially trading food produce with Ireland alongside his business partner, John Dillon.
In 1776, Leyland and his business partner, purchased a lottery ticket that would change their lives forever. The ticket won them £20,000, a massive sum for the time, equivalent to millions today. While many would have invested in traditional businesses, Leyland chose a different path. He poured his winnings into the transatlantic slave trade, a booming but brutal industry that was the backbone of Liverpool’s economy.
While his winnings symbolized luck and opportunity for him, they spelled suffering and bondage for thousands of Africans.
Leyland began buying shares in slave ships, starting with Harlequin and Madam Pookata. His ambitions grew quickly, and soon he purchased his third ship, Enterprize, alongside other investors. Eventually, he bought out his partners and took sole ownership. The Enterprize embarked on three voyages transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas before it was shipwrecked off Jamaica.
Undeterred, Leyland commissioned another ship, also named Enterprize, in 1790. Purpose-built for the slave trade, it completed eight successful voyages before it too was wrecked on its ninth journey. In total, Leyland was responsible for at least 69 voyages, transporting an estimated 22,365 enslaved Africans across the Atlantic.
The profits from the slave trade allowed Leyland to expand his influence. In 1802, he entered a banking partnership with Clarke and Roscoe, although it dissolved within two months due to William Roscoe’s abolitionist stance. Four years later, Leyland established his own bank, Leyland & Bullin, alongside his nephew and fellow slave trader, Richard Bullin.
The bank became a financial powerhouse in Liverpool, funding the voyages of other slave traders and amassing enormous wealth. When the British slave trade was finally abolished in 1807, Leyland smoothly transitioned into retail banking. His bank eventually merged with The North and South Wales Bank, which in 1908 became part of Midland Bank.
Leyland’s wealth opened the door to political influence. He served as the Lord Mayor of Liverpool three times, in 1798, 1814, and 1820.
During his tenure, Liverpool was a city dominated by slave traders; in 1787, 37 out of 41 council members were directly involved in the slave trade. Unsurprisingly, the council, including Leyland, vocally opposed any legislation aimed at regulating or abolishing the trade.
In 1799, under Leyland’s rule, the Liverpool council even petitioned against the UK government’s proposed anti-slavery legislation, calling it “impracticable in parts, injurious, partial, and oppressive.” Their opposition showed how much Liverpool’s economy relied on slavery, something Leyland not only profited from but also strongly supported.
When Thomas Leyland died on May 29, 1827, he left a staggering £600,000 in his will, an enormous fortune for the era. But behind this wealth lay the shattered lives of over 22,000 Africans who endured brutal conditions and lifelong bondage. His stroke of luck in 1776 became a curse for those whose lives were torn apart by his ambitions.
Sources:
https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/probate-copy-of-will-of-thomas-leyland
https://www.leightonnews.com/2013/the-history-of-the-naylor-family-of-leighton-hall/
