List of members of the African Company of Merchants
| Company type | Corporation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Trade, Atlantic slave trade |
| Predecessor | Royal African Company |
| Founded | 1752 |
Area served | London, Bristol, Liverpool |
| Products | Trade goods, including slaves |
The African Company of Merchants was created through an Act of Parliament in 1752, succeeding the Royal African Company. It permitted citizens interested in membership to join the corporation based in three cities. At its inception, membership comprised 135 individuals in London, 157 in Bristol, and 101 in Liverpool, the latter city playing a significant role in the slave trade.
Original members
On 24 June 1752, a roster of 101 original members was released. Several among them served as MPs for the Liverpool constituency during their careers.
- John Armitage
- John Atherton
- John Ashton
- John Backhouse
- Thomas Ball
- William Benson
- Joseph Bird
- John Blackburn
- Bryan Blundell
- Jonathan Blundell
- Richard Blundell
- William Blundell
- John Bostock
- George Bradley
- Edward Bridge
- George Brooks
- Joseph Brooks
- Jonathan Brooks
- William Bulkeley
- George Campbell
- Thomas Chalmer
- Robert Clay
- John Clayton
- George Clews
- Charles Craven
- John Crompton
- James Crosbie
- Thomas Crowder
- Ellis Cunliffe
- Foster Cunliffe (1682–1758)
- Robert Cunliffe
- Joseph Davis
- Edward Dean
- William Dobb
- Thomas Dunbar
- Ralph Earl
- David Eddie
- Elliott Ellams
- Joseph Farmer
- Edward Forbes
- Richard Ford
- Potter Fletcher
- James Gildart
- Richard Gildart (MP for Liverpool,1734-1754)
- John Goodwin
- William Goodwin
- Charles Goore
- James Gordon
- John Gorrell
- Robert Hallhead
- John Hardman (MP for Liverpool,1754-1756)
- Henry Hardwar
- Arthur Heywood
- Benjamin Heywood
- Robert Hesketh
- William Higginson
- Captain John Hughes
- Richard Hughes
- Thomas Kendall
- John Knight
- George Laidler
- Thomas Leatherbarrow
- Pierce Lee
- Charles Lowndes
- Edward Lowndes
- Thomas Mears
- Joseph Manesty
- Richard Nicholas
- John Nicholson
- Edmund Ogden
- Samuel Ogden
- Isaac Oldham
- John Okill
- James Pardoe
- John Parker
- Edward Parr
- John Parr
- William Penket
- William Pole
- Owen Pritchard
- Samuel Reed
- William Rowe
- Richard Savage
- Robert Seel
- Thomas Seel
- Samuel Shaw
- Robert Smith, (Broad Street, London)
- Samuel Smith
- John Strong
- Matthew Strong
- John Tarleton
- Henry Townsend
- Richard Townsend
- Edward Trafford
- Levinus Unsworth
- Christo Whytell
- William Whalley
- Henry Lane White
* John Williamson * William Williamson