Commemorative plaque
Report recommendation: In addition to the naming of a new building or campus space, a commemorative plaque will be added to the Gilbert Scott Building, explaining that this was the site of the house of Robert Bogle, a wealthy West India merchant who owned a great many enslaved people, and that people who made money from slave-ownership and the trade in slave-produced commodities were amongst the donors for the construction of these campus buildings.
Commemorative plaque
In August 2018, a commemorative plaque in honour of enslaved people was unveiled by Sir Geoff Palmer, Professor Emeritus and human rights activist, and Jackie Kay, Scotland's poet laureate, at a special ceremony in the University Chapel to mark UNESCO Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade.
The plaque acknowledges that the Gilbert Scott Building was built on the site of Gilmorehill House, owned by the 18th century West Indies merchant and owner of enslaved people, Robert Bogle.
The commemorative plaque reads: "Near this site stood the house of Robert Bogle (d. 1821) a wealthy West India merchant and owner of enslaved people. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this University benefited from gifts made by individuals who had profited from slavery. This plaque commemorates the lives of all those who suffered enslavement." The plaque will be on permanent display in the University Cloisters.
To mark the @UNESCO Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade @SirGeoffPalmer joins @JackieKayPoet, @UofGVC and @HilaryBeckles of @UWImona to unveil a commemorative plaque in our chapel in honour of the enslaved. pic.twitter.com/02ujJ124pZ
— University of Glasgow (@UofGlasgow) August 23, 2019
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