Reflections on Alumni in Conversation: Slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment

In the historic Usha Kasera Lecture Theatre, Edinburgh Law School alumni Professor Cairns and Mr Fulton had an in-depth discussion on the key figures and themes from Mr Fulton's recent book, Slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment. The book explores Scotland’s complex historical relationship with Enlightenment, slavery, and empire. Mr Fulton explained how his methodology of telling the broader historical story through the lives of individuals allowed for a deeper connection to the historical narrative.

Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, such as Francis Hutcheson and Henry Home, Lord Kames, shaped moral and legal thought at the time. The paradox between their philosophies on morality and liberty alongside legal thought about property and the realities of slavery, reflect the tension around moral dilemma and enlightenment ideals at the time. 

Amongst the stories explored, Lord Mansfield emerged as a central figure due to his legal rulings—especially Somerset v. Stewart—and personal relationship with his great-niece, Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate daughter of his nephew, Sir John Lindsay, a British career naval officer, and Maria Belle, an enslaved woman. Lord Mansfield was a pivotal, if yet cautious, figure in the legal move toward abolitionism. 

A reading from the book by Mr Fulton about Ramsay set the stage for further discussion. Ramsay's principled opposition to slavery, despite personal and professional costs, illustrated the moral courage found in some Enlightenment thinkers. This led to an examination of Richard Oswald, who embodied contradictions as both slave trader and progressive landowner, symbolising the intertwined legacies of slavery and enlightenment-driven development in Scotland.

Such paradoxes and contradictions are found throughout the period. Mr Fulton highlights this by comparing Robert Wedderburn and Archibald Monteath, both opponents of slavery, but whose different backgrounds and personalities shaped differing approaches to resistance and reform. Religion also played a powerful yet ambivalent role. Influential Scots such as Alan Pinkerton, Fanny Wright and John Gladstone demonstrated how deep religious conviction could both oppose and support the institution of slavery.

Finally, the discussion turned to whether the Church (the Kirk), Enlightenment philosophy, or other forces were most effective in opposing slavery. Mr Fulton acknowledged the complex forces at play, while both religion and Enlightenment values contributed, neither alone was responsible. Abolitionism was driven by a combination of moral, social, political and economic pressures.

Questions from the audience touched upon comparisons the between the transatlantic slave trade and modern slavery, the exchange of ideas between Enlightenment thinkers from Scotland and Scottish institutional leaders, how people reacted to slavery then and conversations around slavery today.   

By presenting personal histories, Slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment encourages readers to critically examine the past and its implications for present and future societal values. 

Attendees had the chance to purchase a signed copy of the book after the talk, and Mr Fulton generously donated a portion of the sales from the night to the Edinburgh Law Students Fund.

Find out more about 'Slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment'. [external link] 

About the alumni

John. D. O. Fulton WS (LLB, 1975) graduated from Edinburgh Law School in 1975. Mr Fulton entered the legal profession after graduation, specialising in property and trust law, and developing an international client base over his forty-year career. It is worth noting that Mr Fulton was a Founding Trustee of the Clark Foundation, which has done so much to support the study of Scots law, and was latterly its chairman. 

Professor John W. Cairns F.R.S.E. (LLB, 1977, PhD 1981) is Professor of Civil Law and Chair of Civil Law at Edinburgh Law School. For over a quarter of a century Prof Cairns has worked on legal and social issues and the position of those held enslaved in eighteenth-century Scotland. He also teach an honours course on the topic.

Further Resources

Three Lectures by Professor Cairns:

Alan Watson Memorial Lectures: Enslaved and Enslavers in Scotland;

Alan Watson Memorial Lectures: Managing the Enslaved?;

Alan Watson Watson Memorial Lectures: Challenging Enslavement.

Mr Fulton’s first book: 66: The House that Viewed the World (Scotland Street Press, December 2019). [external link]