It was with high expectations that I recently picked up a copy of "White Gold" in my local library. The confirmation on the cover that it was "from the bestselling author of 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg'" was enough for me to select it. I had read all his other books: "The Riddle and the Knight", ... Read review
Advantages: Readable, fact-filled account of a little-known area of history Disadvantages: Explicit brutality
...the practice of trading in white slaves from across Europe and colonial North America had been established for over a century. I was shocked to learn of raids that had been carried out in Cornwall, Wales and as far afield as Iceland, to supplement the numbers taken on the high seas. Morocco was not the only destination, either: "Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli also had thriving slave trade auctions" at this time.
The larger story ... ...not better understood in its time.
Highly Recommended!
White Gold is published by Hodder & Stoughton ISBN 0340794690, cover price £18.99, currently selling on Amazon at £15.99. A paperback edition has just been released ISBN 0340794704, price £7.99.
It was with high expectations that I recently picked up a copy of "White Gold" in my local library. The confirmation on the cover that it was "from the bestselling author of 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg'" was enough for me to select it. I had read all his other books: "The Riddle and the Knight", "Big Chief Elizabeth" and "Samurai William". Each one had filled a gap in my education, absorbing me completely in its subject-matter, being rich in historical detail, and yet, continually driven forward by an engaging, and at times surprising, narrative. So I felt confident that "White Gold" would do the same.
I was soon to discover that the setting for most of "White Gold" would be the land of Morocco in the 18th century, a subject I confess I knew nothing about. A human-interest tale would centre on Thomas Pellow, a cabin boy from Penryn in Cornwall whose ship was captured at sea in 1716 by the Barbary Corsairs and whose crew was brought to Salé in Morocco to be sold at the slave market. Thomas Pellow was bought by the Sultan of Morocco, Moulay Ismail, an immensely powerful absolute leader with ambitious building plans which would require a lot of Christian Slave labour to achieve.
Thomas Pellow was far from alone in his ordeal. Fifty two Englishmen were brought to the Sultan on the same occasion, the crews of three captured vessels. As Giles Milton informs us "the seizure of these men was neither unique nor unusual"; the practice of trading in white slaves from across Europe and colonial North America had been established for over a century. I was shocked to learn of raids that had been carried out in Cornwall, Wales and as far afield as Iceland, to supplement the numbers taken on the high seas. Morocco was not the only destination, either: "Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli also had thriving slave trade auctions" at this time.
The larger story that Giles Milton therefore unfolds, concerns the fate of an estimated million European slaves in North Africa taken over a period of over two centuries. Like all good historians, he cites his sources, and together they make a convincing picture, although many were not convinced by the stories they heard at the time. I was astonished that no mention of these slaves had ever been made at school whereas the history of black slavery in America was well-covered. I have friends who have visited Morocco and seen the ruins of some of the sites mentioned but had no idea that they were originally built using European slave labour. It seems no-one cares to remember.
But Thomas Pellow deserves to be remembered. He was a survivor - one of the few who lived to tell his tale. He laboured for a full 23 years before eventually managing his own means of escape in the hope of being reunited with his family. I don't want to tell you much about what happened to him as it would spoil it for you. Suffice to say it is a gripping account and not recommended for the faint-hearted. It is an insider's view of a brutal regime, held together at all levels by fear, a regime in which torture and execution were commonplace events. Avoiding torture was impossible; avoiding execution required both skill and luck - Thomas Pellow had both.
In parallel with his story, Giles Milton covers the efforts of those at home to obtain news of their lost family members, and the attempts by successive British and European monarchs to ignore or resolve the issues. He tells of treaties drawn up that were not worth the paper they were written on, of expensive diplomatic missions doomed to failure from the start, of others which achieved some limited success, and finally of decisive military action taken.
Once again, Giles Milton has triumphed in bringing a little-known area of history to life. The tragedy is that it was not better understood in its time.
Highly Recommended!
White Gold is published by Hodder & Stoughton ISBN 0340794690, cover price £18.99, currently selling on Amazon at £15.99. A paperback edition has just been released ISBN 0340794704, price £7.99.
