William Wilberforce

Lore & Background

Wilberforce was born in Hull, Yorkshire, the only son of a wealthy merchant. A small, sickly child, he attended Hull Grammar School and later Pocklington School. After his father's death, he lived with an uncle and aunt in London and Wimbledon, where he became interested in evangelical Christianity. He matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge in 1776, where he pursued a hedonistic lifestyle but passed his examinations, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1781 and a Master of Arts in 1788. He began his political career in 1780 as MP for Kingston upon Hull, and in 1784 was elected MP for Yorkshire.

In 1785, after a tour of Europe and reading Philip Doddridge's 'The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul', Wilberforce underwent an evangelical conversion, regretting his past life and resolving to serve God. In 1787, he came into contact with Thomas Clarkson and a group of activists, including Granville Sharp, Hannah More, and Charles Middleton, who persuaded him to take on the cause of abolition. He headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for 20 years until the Slave Trade Act 1807. He also championed causes such as the Society for the Suppression of Vice, British missionary work in India, the creation of a free colony in Sierra Leone, the foundation of the Church Mission Society, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. His underlying conservatism led him to support politically and socially repressive legislation, drawing criticism that he ignored injustices at home while campaigning for the enslaved abroad.

Reader's Guide

Wilberforce's significance lies in his central role in the British abolition movement. His parliamentary leadership over two decades was instrumental in passing the Slave Trade Act 1807, which abolished the British slave trade, and later the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire. His conversion to evangelical Anglicanism in 1785 shaped his lifelong commitment to moral and social reform, though his conservatism led him to support repressive domestic legislation, drawing criticism for focusing on overseas slavery while neglecting injustices at home. He died three days after hearing that the Slavery Abolition Act had passed Parliament, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. His legacy is that of a key figure in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, whose work combined religious conviction with political action.

Did You Know?

• Wilberforce was described by Madame de Staël as the 'wittiest man in England'.
• He was a small, sickly child with poor eyesight.
• He spent over £8,000 to secure his election as MP for Kingston upon Hull in 1780.
• He died three days after hearing that the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 had passed Parliament.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"William Wilberforce (August 24 1759 – July 29 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, theologian, and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade.

His third son was Bishop Samuel Wilberforce." — William Wilberforce "On the Horrors of the Slave Trade", speech delivered in the House of Commons (12 May 1789)." — William Wilberforce "Speech before the House of Commons (18 April 1791)." — William Wilberforce "Having heard all of this you may choose to look the other way but you can never again say you did not know." — William Wilberforce