The Abolitionist Watchmakers of Belfast

Mark Doherty, local historian, will give an illustrated talk about the anti-slavery movement in Belfast including committed abolitionists who are buried in Shankill graveyard. The talk will focus on three prominent Presbyterian abolitionists who were also watchmakers. From 1786, when the forming of a Belfast Slave Ship Company was prevented, until 1866, the first year of Slave Emancipation in the US there was always at least one abolitionist watchmaker working in Belfast. The talk will also cover the visit of three remarkable black abolitionists who visited Belfast during this period.