Between 1620 and 1640, no less than 12,000 British men, women and children were held captive and enslaved in North Africa.
Some were seamen, others had been seized from their homes on the coast of Britain during raids by corsairs from Algiers. This little-known trade in slaves continued until the mid-eighteenth century. Jill will examine this episode in our history and consider why it remains so unfamiliar to us today.
Jill Stern graduated with first class honours in History from King’s College London. Much of her working life was spent as a teacher at Wycombe Abbey School. Returning to academic study she gained an MA (Distinction) and a doctorate in seventeenth century Dutch history at University College London. As a doctoral student she was awarded the prestigious Pollard Prize for History. She has a book and many published articles to her credit. She has lectured in Britain, the Netherlands and New York. History is her lifelong passion and she is keen to share that passion.
