The Diocese of Truro has confirmed that a plaque hung from a church in Falmouth in protest at a slave-trader memorial inside has been taken down.
The blue plaque outside King Charles the Martyr Church stated that 17th-century slave trader Thomas Corker was “memorialised here” between 1700 and 2025.
It was put up by “a group of concerned citizens” and coincided with the installation service of the Bishop of Truro, Rt Rev David Williams, at the weekend.
Last year, the Diocese of Truro held an investigation after a brass plaque highlighting the involvement of Thomas Corker in the slave trade was erected inside the church without permission and placed underneath an existing marble memorial to him.
It read: “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.”
Those responsible for the brass plaque said it had been designed to provide historical context. It has since been removed on the advice of the diocesan chancellor.
The Diocese of Truro facilitated two reports on the original Corker memorial, and the findings are now with the Parochial Church Council for consideration.
The new Bishop of Truro gave Premier his reaction:
“Historic injustices are complex to deal with and what we memorialise we have become very sensitive to.
“I like what some places have done. They haven’t taken down the memorial, but they have written a new story alongside, to say that this was how this wealth was gathered.
“I think in Falmouth that’s their long-term aim – that the Thomas Corker memorial should be moved and the story re-told in understanding some of the injustices.
“I think the current tensions are around the speed at which that’s put right.
“I would encourage patience on the part of the protestors and perhaps a bit more hurry on the part of the decision-makers.”