Overview

Soham at the Time of the Abolition of Slavery

Olaudah Equiano otherwise known as Gustavus Vassa was the African slave who gained his freedom and became an activist for the abolition of slavery in the 18th Century. He wrote his celebrated Autobiography - 'The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African 1789'. His connection with Soham comes from the fact that he married a local woman, Susannah Cullen, in St. Andrew's Church and both his daughters were born and baptised here.

Soham Village College along with Soham Action 4 Youth (SA4Y) and Soham Community History Museum, joined together to take part in a massive project to record 'Soham at the Time of the Abolition' to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery and to celebrate the life of Olaudah Equiano. The project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and several events took place during the course of 2007/2008 to commemorate the anniversary.

200th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery - Official Documentation

	Heritage Lottery Initiative - Remembering Slavery in 2007 (Adobe Acrobat .pdf file 1.35Mb)
	HM Government - Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act 1807 – 2007 (Adobe Acrobat .pdf file 1.57Mb)
	Department for Culture, Media & Sport - Reflecting on the Past & Looking to the Future (Adobe Acrobat .pdf file 231Kb)

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