I have recently discovered that my biological father, the late Sir Anthony Montague Browne, had an ancestral connection to the enslavement of people in Jamaica and Tobago. His great, great grandfather was Sir James Fergusson, an owner of enslaved people at the Rozelle Plantation in St Thomas, Jamaica. While I sadly only discovered my relationship to Sir Anthony in 2016, three years after his death, I did have the delight of meeting my half sister and her son. My recent trip to Jamaica has helped me to confront the legacies of enslavement in the Caribbean and the responsibility owed to those who still suffer from the effects of this evil trade. I thank those who have given their time to such tireless research in this field, many of whom are descendants of enslaved people. I reiterate the Church Commissioners’ commitment to a thorough and accurate research programme, in the knowledge that archives have far more to tell us about what has come before us – often in a very personal way. I give thanks to God for this journey towards healing, justice and repair, as we take the path that Jesus Christ calls us to walk.
Notes for editors
• The late Sir Anthony Montague Browne’s great-great grandfather was Sir James Fergusson, 4th Baronet of Kilkerran (1765 – 1838).
• Sir James Fergusson was the last co-owner of enslaved people at the Rozelle Plantation in St. Thomas, Jamaica, where he received compensation funds at abolition.
• Sir Anthony Montague Browne died in April 2013.
• In April 2016, following a newspaper investigation into his parentage, Archbishop Welby discovered that Sir Anthony Browne was his biological father, rather than Gavin Welby who had raised him. Archbishop Justin’s 2016 statement: Archbishop Justin Welby’s statement on his father | The Archbishop of Canterbury
• The Archbishop of Canterbury had no relationship with Sir Anthony Montague Browne and did not receive any money from him while he was alive, or from his estate since his death.