Memoirs of the reign of Bossa Ahádee, King of Dahomy, an inland country of Guiney. To which are added, the author's journey to Abomey, the capital; and a short account of the African slave trade. By Robert Norris. Illustrated with a new map.
Robert Norris (d.1791)
Category
Books
Date
1789
Materials
Place of origin
London
Collection
Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd
NT 3081567
Caption
This book appears to have been a gift from one pro-slavery campaigner to another. Labelled ‘Norris on the slave trade’, it includes a handwritten dedication on the front flyleaf: ‘By Desire of the Author’. The author, Robert Norris, and owner, Richard Pennant, both spoke in the House of Commons in 1788 against the abolition of the slave trade.
Summary
Full description
Robert Norris (1724? – 1791) was a slave trader and historian. His ‘Memoirs’ are seen as ‘the first serious attempt by a European to write the history of a West African state’ (Law, 1989, p. 219). They focus on Dahomey, a West African kingdom, ruled by Tegbesu (“Bossa Ahádee”) between 1740 and 1774. The book comprises six sections, apparently written at different times. They cover memoirs of the author’s travels, historical and geographical accounts of Dahomey, and a “A Short Account of the African Slave Trade”. Norris seems to have known Dahomey well as a result of his operations as a slave trader in West Africa over two decades (Fage, 1967, p. vi). Norris also travelled to Jamaica in 1769–71 (Law, 2004). “A Short Account of the African Slave Trade” is described in its title as being the "Second Edition, with Additions." It is a revised version of evidence given by Norris to the House of Commons before the parliamentary committee enquiry into the slave trade in 1788. Norris, who supported the continuation of the slave trade, had previously published his evidence separately as a pamphlet in 1788. Richard Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn (1737 – 21 January 1808), may have been present when Norris presented his evidence in support of the slave trade. Pennant was MP for Liverpool until 1790 and a pro-slavery representative. Between 1784 and 1790 he was reported to have made more than thirty speeches, all on matters concerning Liverpool trade or the West Indies. According to The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754 – 1790: “In May 1788, in a debate on the slave trade, Penrhyn and his fellow Member, Bamber Gascoyne jun., were, according to Wraxall, ‘the only two Members who ventured to speak in extenuation if not in justification of the African trade ... and loudly called for an immediate investigation as the sole mode of exposing the calumnies circulated respecting the merchants as well as the planters’. Henceforth [Penrhyn] spoke frequently in defence of the slave trade ‘denying the facts advanced, appealing to the prudence and policy of the House against their compassion’.” (Namier et al., 1964) The Penrhyn copy of Norris’ Memoirs, published 1789, has a red spine label, ‘Norris on the slave trade’. In the late eighteenth-century, every binding was bespoke, so this label was chosen by either the binder or the person who commissioned the binding of the book. The book’s dedication on the front flyleaf ‘By Desire of the Author’ suggests that it was a gift from Norris. We might assume, therefore, that he selected the binding label to catch the interest of the gift’s recipient, his fellow pro-slavery campaigner, Richard Pennant.
Bibliographic description
xvi,184,[2]p.,plate . map . 8vo.. Ms. inscription on front flyleaf: By desire of the author. In the Penrhyn copy the final errata leaf has been excised, trimmed and pasted to the front board.. Binding: Eighteenth-century full calf; recessed cords; spine gilt; red spine label: 'Norris on the slave trade'.
Marks and inscriptions
Inscription on front flyleaf: By Desire of the Author
Makers and roles
Robert Norris (d.1791)
References
Law 1989: R Law, The Slave-Trader as Historian: Robert Norris and the History of Dahomey, History in Africa, Vol. 16 (1989), 219-235 Fage 1967: J D Fage (ed.), A Dalzel, The History of Dahomy, an Inland Kingdom of Africa, com- piled from Authentic Memoirs, London 1967 Law 2004: R Law, Robert Norris, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/20282 Namier and Brooke 1964: L. Namier, J. Brooke (ed.), The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790, https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/pennant-richard-1736-1808