Merchants and investors in slave trade
A wide variety of merchants and investors wanted to be part of the slave trade economy . It seemed as though almost anyone could become involved if they had the goods to supply the trade or the money to invest in a voyage. People such as sail-makers and bakers were also required to service the ships and the crew. Work for many people in and around Bristol was created by the slave trade. It was not just the city’s well-known names such as the merchant James Laroche that made profits from the slave trade. Many small companies and business people would have been involved directly or indirectly through their business activities.
This list of suppliers in the accounts book of the slave ship the Africa is for a slaving voyage made in 1774. It lists local and national companies which supplied the slave ship and shows how many businesses were involved in the trade.