Erasmus Darwin House
Erasmus Darwin House. Picture: Bs0u10e01

The role of poets in the fight to end slavery will be discussed in the latest Lunar Lecture at a Lichfield museum.

Erasmus Darwin House will welcome Prof Brycchan Carey at 7.30pm on 14th June.

The Professor of English at Northumbria University has authored numerous books on the 18th Century and the abolition of the slave trade.

A spokesperson said:

“Most of the Lunar Men were staunch opponents of the slave trade and several made important contributions to the abolition campaign that gripped the nation in the 1780s and 1790s.

“Joseph Priestly wrote an antislavery pamphlet, while Josiah Wedgwood’s potteries produced the famous Am I Not a Man and a Brother medallion that became the emblem of the international anti-slavery movement.

“Lunar Men also used the medium of poetry to protest against slavery. Thomas Day alerted the public to the scandal of enslaved people being illegally forced out of the country.

“Prof Carey will discuss the surprising stories behind such works and show how they made a major contribution to the abolition of the slave trade.”

Erasmus Darwin House spokesperson

As well as being held at Erasmus Darwin House, the talk will also be streamed live online. For tickets click here.