Midas of Manumission: The Orphan Samuel Gist and his Virginian Slaves

Samuel Gist was born in Bristol in the early eighteenth century but was soon orphaned and sent to Virginia as an apprenticed. Despite this unpromising start, he returned to Britain already a successful merchant, a tobacco trader and owned ships and slaves; when he returned to Britain he thrived as insurance broker. When he died in 1815 he left legacies to many charities, but also funded the freedom of his Virginian slaves, which became one of the greatest manumissions.

Gist is an enigmatic character. His Midas-like acquisition of money making seems to contrast with his attitude to his slaves who spoke fondly of him and of his daughters. Yet his former neighbours in Virginia reviled him for his pursuit of wartime debts.

This story describes how the American colonies were founded, how kidnapping and spiriting of children led to indentured servants and how white slavery gave way to the African trade. It is about the Atlantic world, and the commerce that it generated. But it is also about an orphan, and about how one of them rose from adversity.