Prisoners or slaves? New row over wreck's bones· Archaeologists clash over men lost off north Devon
· St Lucia calls for the return of its 'freedom fighters'
Steven Morris and Nick Constable
Tuesday November 6, 2007
The Guardian
For a decade the curious case of the Rapparee Cove bones has caused diplomatic tension and fierce academic argument.
Found during an archaeological dig on the rocky coast of north Devon, the discovery of the remains seemed to confirm that a boatload of slaves was shipwrecked off the British coast and the survivors possibly sold on.
Ten years on, a row over the bones has reignited with one historian criticising a former colleague for not publishing the results of tests on the remains and a notable black campaigner claiming that the dearth of information on the bones showed a lack of respect for the black people who died on board the ship.
The people of St Lucia, from where the ship came, are also still keen to find out if those who died at Rapparee were from their Caribbean island, and believe they should be returned if they were.
In 1997 the archaeologist Mark Horton, now well known as a presenter of the BBC series Coast, and historian Pat Barrow organised a dig at Rapparee Cove in Ilfracombe.
The bones were believed to be from a ship called the London that was bound for Bristol and was loaded with prisoners captured during fighting between Britain and France in the then French colony of St Lucia.
In October 1796 the London was wrecked in a storm at Rapparee Cove. Chained in the hold are believed to have been French troops and black prisoners - effectively slaves who bravely fought for their freedom alongside the soldiers against the British forces.
As many as 100 bodies are believed by some to have been buried beneath the cliffs at Rapparee.
Mr Barrow, for one, believes that some of the survivors may have been shipped up to Bristol and sold on at a time when slavery was frowned upon but not illegal in Britain.
The discovery of the Rapparee bones made headlines around the world. There were calls in St Lucia for the remains of the men, seen there as freedom fighters, to be returned. African groups demanded that they be sent back to Africa.
The MP and activist Bernie Grant was among those who made the trek to Devon to pay their respects. For now the bones remain locked in a safe in the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon.
Dr Horton set about trying to find out if the bones were from a person of Caribbean or African origin - and then it all went very quiet.
Speaking at a black history event in London, Mr Barrow criticised Dr Horton, claiming he had "fobbed off" requests for information about his findings.
He said: "I believe some academics and politicians simply do not want to recognise that Rapparee Cove is a historical landmark to our country's role in slavery.
"This is the only place in Britain where black slaves are known to have drowned aboard a British vessel. They are regarded as heroes in St Lucia and they died in dreadful circumstances far from home.
"The least we can do as a country is to show respect and tell their story through proper research."
Linda Bellos, who worked with the late Mr Grant in the Africa Reparations Movement, which campaigns on slavery issues, said there was an "absence of respect" over the Rapparee Cove remains. "There needs to be more research," she added.
Dr Horton, a reader in archaeology at Bristol University, told the Guardian that he now believed the bones were not from black slaves. Examination of the bones suggested to him they might have come from a French soldier, or even be the bones of a local Devon person. He said: "The human remains that were found and analysed cannot be shown to be part of that incident."
Dr Horton said that new DNA techniques might now be used to find out more about the bones. He accepted that he had not formally published the findings, but he had told people in St Lucia that he could not prove they came from the Caribbean.
However, Dr Horton may find himself under fire again next year when a BBC drama series called Bone Kickers is screened. It follows the adventures of a team of archaeologists with one of the plotlines the discovery of murdered 18th century slaves on a beach.
Dr Horton is the academic adviser to the series - although he insists he had nothing to do with this story.
The people of St Lucia still want answers. Margot Thomas, the national archivist on St Lucia, said she still believed the bones were from slaves. She said: "There should be more tests, and if they are proved to be slaves from St Lucia the bones should be returned."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2205738,00.html
