©National Archives

Treaty with the Chiefs of the Garraway River, West Africa, for the abolition of Traffic in Slaves, 1847 Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807 and turned its efforts to suppressing the slaving activities of other countries, although slaves were not freed in the British Empire until 1833.

The document shown here is a trade agreement with the Chiefs of the Garraway River in West Africa. It is a typical example of such treaties and reflects Britain's policy to suppress slave trading during a period of imperial and foreign economic expansion into Africa. The continuing use of slavery within Africa was not fully addressed for many decades.