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William Beckford

William (Thomas) Beckford, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1782 - NPG - © National Portrait Gallery, London

William (Thomas) Beckford
by Sir Joshua Reynolds
1782
NPG 5340

Beckford was heir to the vast slave-supported fortune of his father, also William Beckford. His father, who was also known as 'Alderman Sugar-Cane' owned eight plantations in Jamaica and served as Lord Mayor of London between 1761-2 and 1769-70. He was a powerful and influential champion of slavery. Over 2000 enslaved Africans worked on his plantations and Beckford supported the trade that kept his family among the wealthiest of their generation.

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