Scipio Kennedy

Scipio Kennedy
Born1694 (estimated)
Died1774
Known forEnslaved African living at Culzean Castle in Scotland and having living descendants
Grave marker for former slave Scipio Kennedy at Kirkoswald Old Churchyard, Ayrshire, Scotland

Scipio Kennedy (c. 1694–1774) was a slave who was taken as a child from Guinea in West Africa. After being purchased at the age of five or six by Captain Andrew Douglas of Mains, he worked as a slave under his daughter, Jean, wife of Sir John Kennedy, 2nd Baronet of Culzean in Ayrshire, Scotland. He was granted a manumission (freedom from slavery) in 1725, but continued to work for the Kennedy family and was given land on the estate.[1][2] He married in 1728 and had at least eight children.[3] At least one living descendant is known from the west of Scotland and has published the story of his ancestor in a Scottish national newspaper.[4]

  1. ^ "Dig for freed slave's castle home". BBC News Glasgow and West. BBC. 26 October 2007. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  2. ^ "Case Study: Searching for Scipio". Scottish Archeological Research Framework. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Slavery, the transatlantic slave trade and Scotland". National Archives of Scotland. National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sharp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).