Brass plaque in Falmouth parish church without permission

The engraved plaque has been installed in King Charles the Martyr church in Falmouth alongside the memorial to Thomas Corker.

It reads: "Thomas Corker was England's Chief Agent for the Royal African Company on York Island. He oversaw and profited from the kidnap, enslavement and sale of slaves. The Royal African Company shipped more enslaved men, women and children to the Americas than any other trading company in the world."

The brass plaque was mounted on the wall of the church (Image: Supplied)

Thomas Corker (1669-1700) who was a slave trader in west Africa for the Royal Africa Company.

On his return to Falmouth in 1700 he brought back enslaved Africans. It was whilst on this “business trip” he died.

He was memorialized by a Baroque marble and freestone monument at the church, where he had been baptized as a child.

A spokesperson for the group said the new plaque has been created to provide, what it said, was previously lacking historical context to the Corker memorial.

“Over 500 people have signed a petition demanding that the church remove the carved marble memorial from its prominent location, yet it still remains in the building many years later,” the group said in a statement issued to the Packet.

“Without any acknowledgement of the atrocities committed by Thomas Corker against enslaved African people, on behalf of England and the Crown.

The brass plaque was mounted on the wall of the church (Image: Supplied)

“This is despite the Diocese of Truro themselves acknowledging that the memorial glorifies the "despicable" slave-trade.

“With a striking example of this glorification being the memorial's Latin inscription, which includes the phrase "the young man who lies here was a glory to the English and the Africans".

After continued calls for its removal, in 2023 it was decided that the memorial to Corker would stay in place after a public consultation found it should not be destroyed.

Instead, the Parochial Church Council (PCC) said it would explore the ways in which the memorial at King Charles the Martyr Church could be used as a focus for racial reconciliation, not division.

The PCC said the decision came after a long process of consultation and engagement which brought a consensus that the memorial should not be destroyed.

The plaque in place underneath the memorial (Image: Supplied)

However, the group claim since then nothing has changed.

One of the campaigners told the Packet: "It appears that the church feels no responsibility to stick to their word and as such they are failing to acknowledge the continuing role that they are playing in upholding white supremacy and would rather bury their heads in the sand and dodge any accountability of the pain that this memorial causes.

“To do so is an act of denial of the central role that the Church of England, and Falmouth, played in the slave trade."

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Truro and King Charles the Martyr Church said in statement, sent with the approval of approval of Black Voices Cornwall and Clinton Sealy (one of the original campaigners): "Thomas Corker was a slave owner and slave trader in the 17th century.

"The memorial to him in King Charles the Martyr Church in Falmouth is an offence to many people. There are different views on how best to respond to its presence in an ancient, historic building which is strictly governed by legislation.

"The Diocese of Truro, King Charles Parochial Church Council, the church community, people in Falmouth including the black community, Black Voices Cornwall, the Church of England’s Contested Heritage Committee, Clinton Sealy, operations director for Transformation Cornwall - who was one of the original campaigners - and other interested parties have been working closely together to find the best solution, including an honest description of the history of Thomas Corker’s involvement in slavery.

"We also hope to tell the story of Joseph Emidy, a black musician and composer, who was a freed slave who settled in Cornwall and already has a smaller memorial in the church, and to describe and challenge the evils of modern slavery. 

"This has not been a quick process but there has been a lot of energy and resources given to it and we want to thank all those who are working with us through the proper channels to achieve a positive and enriching outcome."

The Rt Revd Hugh Nelson, Acting Bishop of Truro, said: “The slave trade was a great evil which continues to cause harm to millions of people today. The presence of a memorial to a man who benefited from trading human beings in a building that points to the God of justice and freedom is deeply troubling. I have been encouraged by the careful work and close partnerships that have been built up as solutions are found.”

The diocese went on to say that part of the discussion around what is displayed in relation to the memorial includes a trigger warning, because of the sensitive nature of the topic and the church having a duty of care to all visitors.

"Our consultations have made clear that there are a range of views across Falmouth, and we have been listening and working with all perspectives. 

"The people involved in this work are mostly volunteers who are working tirelessly for justice, and to tell the story of Cornwall’s slave links. They are doing this within and through the proper legal processes.

"We have not been giving regular updates on the process because we were waiting until we had tangible news to share but we recognise that as a result some people may have thought the process had stopped," added the spokesperson. 

Pip Horton, Lay Vice Chair and PCC Secretary at King Charles Church and a member of the sub-committee tasked with the Thomas Corker work, said: “We understand that a lone individual, who purports to be ‘the people of Falmouth’ has taken it upon themselves to enter the church and erect a plaque without our knowledge or the proper permissions.

"Quite frankly, we don’t feel this is helpful at all and detracts from the very good and inclusive work we are doing in partnership with others including Black Voices Cornwall.

"We understand that some people may have concerns about what they see as a delay, but this is not helpful to our efforts and has caused unnecessary distress.”

King Charles the Martyr Church in Falmouth is a Grade II* listed building. Any works to the fabric of a church building are covered by law and must follow the faculty process.

The diocese said that, given that the plaque has been erected without any permission, it was now investigating what action might need to be taken.