Scots Slaves at Saugus Iron Works
I read an interesting story in the newspaper, and it concerned a place near where I used to live on the North Shore in Massachusetts... so being a very very lazy blogger, I decided to look for the story on the internet... Google News... so I could cut and paste... but this story isn't even on the internet. But I found something very similar, which I'll cut and paste excerpts from instead.
Cromwell sold Scots into slavery
Scots ‘slaves’ were used to build up the wealth of New England, the American colony founded by the Pilgrim Fathers.
In a little-known episode of history, 150 Scotsmen were sold into slavery by Oliver Cromwell after being taken prisoner at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650. On board the sailing ship Unity, they followed the route of the Mayflower to the New World three decades after it had crossed the Atlantic.
Some were sold on the quayside at £30 a head, but a group of 62 Scots had been bought in advance by the London owners of the newly-established Saugus Ironworks near Boston and were destined to be its workforce.
(snip)
The next year 300 Scots prisoners taken at the Battle of Worcester were also transported to New England and sold.
The supply then stopped because, it is thought, there were fears in England that concentrating too many Scots in one place would lead to trouble.
(snip the rest)
Cromwell sold Scots into slavery
Scots ‘slaves’ were used to build up the wealth of New England, the American colony founded by the Pilgrim Fathers.
In a little-known episode of history, 150 Scotsmen were sold into slavery by Oliver Cromwell after being taken prisoner at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650. On board the sailing ship Unity, they followed the route of the Mayflower to the New World three decades after it had crossed the Atlantic.
Some were sold on the quayside at £30 a head, but a group of 62 Scots had been bought in advance by the London owners of the newly-established Saugus Ironworks near Boston and were destined to be its workforce.
(snip)
The next year 300 Scots prisoners taken at the Battle of Worcester were also transported to New England and sold.
The supply then stopped because, it is thought, there were fears in England that concentrating too many Scots in one place would lead to trouble.
(snip the rest)