Inside the Great Hall of St Bartholomew’s North Wing, portraits of the apostle St Bartholomew and King Henry VIII hang alongside commemorative boards that honor past donors. This grand, formal space was once a hub for London’s elite, where governors made decisions about their charitable donations and even drafted wills. Many of these individuals were wealthy investors in companies that profited from the transatlantic slave trade. Today, their names are etched in gold on the boards, part of a broader effort to uncover and acknowledge their historical ties to the trafficking of enslaved Africans. The Register of British Slave Traders, a collaborative project by Lancaster University, the University of Manchester, and University College London, documents the lives of every known British investor in the transatlantic slave trade from the 16th to 19th centuries. It reveals how many of these individuals, enriched by the exploitation of enslaved people, contributed to the funding of schools, hospitals, and charities. Professor William Pettigrew, who led the project, noted that the register has identified connections with around 900 organizations. At least 50 individuals with strong ties to St Barts are directly linked to this history. Among them is Sir Jeffrey Jeffreys, a London merchant who donated an unspecified sum to the hospital in his will. Jeffreys’ connection to the slave trade is particularly stark. In 1694, the ship Hannibal, funded by Jeffreys, transported 700 enslaved Africans from Whydah (modern-day Benin) to Barbados, but only 372 survived the journey. Capt. Thomas Phillips, who commanded the ship, recorded the brutal conditions in his journal, including the branding of captives with the ship’s name and the psychological terror inflicted on the enslaved. Disease, starvation, and suicide were common, with many bodies discarded overboard to prevent the spread of illness. The Hannibal’s mortality rate of nearly 50% highlights the extreme suffering endured during these voyages. Jeffreys was also a director of the Royal African Company, a major player in the slave trade, and his wealth grew significantly from this involvement. Other notable figures associated with St Barts also have links to the slave trade. Edward Colston, whose statue was famously removed by protesters in Bristol in 2020, appears in the register. William Prichard, a former president of St Barts, invested in the Royal African Company, as did Sir Robert Geffrye, who left money to the hospital in his will. Calls have been made to remove Geffrye’s statue at the Museum of the Home in Hoxton. These connections extend into the political and financial heart of London, with several past Lord Mayors of the City of London also linked to the trade. The legacy of these historical ties continues to be examined, with ongoing discussions about how best to acknowledge and address them.