Human Resources

Woolly Morals part 1

Human Resources

Show Notes

The picturesque County of Powys in Wales, had an abstruse but vital role in the Slave trade. We uncover how everyday families got swept up in the business and production of Welsh Cloth, a cloth used to not only clothe enslaved people but also trade them.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains descriptions of brutality, listener discretion advised.

Featuring Dr. Marian Gwynn (https://www.mariangwyn.com/)

Full episode transcript (shorturl.at/cBDNW)

CREDITS

Produced by Renay Richardson

Researchers Dr Alison Bennett and Arisa Loomba

Sound design by Ben Yellowitz

The original song you heard was Tudor Gwynn Suganami Jones which is about Sir Henry Morgan

Steel pan and flute by Sian Herbert

Extra sound recordings - Sandra Dobrozemsky

J Hope on Violin

James Collins - Choral vocals.

Production Assistant is Rory Boyle.

This is a Broccoli Production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More from Human Resources

Jun 10, 2025

Sadly, the podcast has come to an end. However, there is still so much to learn and discover about the links between modern Britain and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which is why we're pleased to announce that our book Human Resources: Slavery and the Making of Modern Britain in 39 Institutions, People, Places and Things is out now.

Dec 5, 2023

Moya and Kris Manjapra discuss his book Black Ghost of Empire, a revelatory historical indictment of the long afterlife of slavery in the Atlantic world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 28, 2023

As abolitionist campaigns gained traction in the late 1700s, the population of formerly enslaved people grew. Those who had been enslaved in the British colonies were ‘freed’ - at first in dribs and drabs, then all at once via two landmark pieces of legislation in 1807 and 1834.

Nov 21, 2023

At the height of the British slave trade, there were no cameras to capture the experiences of the children who found themselves forced into enslavement. There are not even exact numbers for how many youths were sucked into the system - estimates suggest a quarter of the roughly 12 million Black Africans enslaved between the 16th and 19th centuries would be categorised as children. Their stories are some of the hardest to dig up - but people are persisting anyway.

Nov 14, 2023

In the last episode, ‘Abolition, Now part 1’, I was talking with Historian Diana Patton about the real timeline of Aboliton and what Abolition really meant for those previously enslaved. Towards the end of the episode we began speaking about Apprenticeships and how those previously enslaved were then forced to work for the people who formerly owned them. Should they not want to work, the punishments were fast and brutal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See all episodes →