Slave traders' gravestone defaced with red cross

Dean Abbott said vandalism on any gravestone was "concerning and unacceptable".

A prominent gravestone of a family involved in the slave trade has been defaced with red crosses.

The cross has been painted on two sides of the Rawlinson family monument at Lancaster Priory in Lancaster, which had been vandalised with the words "slave trader" back in 2020.

The church chose not to remove the graffiti to highlight the family's links to the slave trade links.

Rev Craig Abbott, area Dean of Lancaster and Morecambe, said this fresh vandalism was "not helpful" and talks would be held on what to do next.

It comes as St George's flags have appeared across the country in recent weeks.

The Rawlinson family grew wealthy from the slave trade when Lancaster was the fourth largest UK port involved in the transatlantic slave trade.

English Heritage said the Rawlinsons were a prominent Quaker family and made the bulk of their fortune from the transatlantic slave trade in the 1750s and 60s.

The head of the family, Abraham Rawlinson, was the MP for Lancaster between 1780-90 and opposed the abolition of the slave trade.

Abraham Rawlinson was disowned by the Society of Friends in 1779, according to Lancashire Quakers.

The Rawlinson family monument is on a hill which overlooks Morecambe Bay

Mr Abbott said: "The defacement of any gravestone is concerning and unacceptable.

"That said, this particular gravestone belongs to a figure with a complex legacy involving the slave trade.

"The Priory had consciously decided to keep previous graffiti in relation to that legacy as part of a wider educational project.

"In doing so, the Priory is holding the space for both sorrow and truth. Sorrow for the desecration of a grave and truth, acknowledging the pain that such legacies continue to cause; so the addition of the flag graffiti has not been helpful in this context."

He said there will have to be further talks about how to deal with the fresh graffiti, and said advice may be needed from specialists to remove it.