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When looking through a box filled with papers related to the bankruptcy of a British enslaver, a strip of brightly coloured silk fabric stood out to researcher Liberty Paterson. It was described in a letter from 1787 as ‘smoak’d taffety’ and sent as ‘a sample of a favourite article for the Gold Coast’ to trade for enslaved African people.

The firm offering the textile for this purpose was John Philips & Co., a Manchester-based textile manufacturer which later underpinned the wealth of Guardian co-founder, George Philips. This small piece of fabric serves as a reminder of the emotional histories and ongoing legacies embedded within material records when doing research.

Join The National Archives in conversation with Shereen Hunte (Engagement Manager, London Museum) and Reece Williams (Curator – Legacies of Enslavement, Manchester Science and Industry Museum) as we explore colonial legacies within collections and ways in which organisations are working with and for communities.