Benedict CumberbatchThe family of could be forced to pay reparations in Barbados for running a slave plantation on the island in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The actor’s seventh great-grandfather, who starred as a plantation owner in the Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave, bought the Cleland plantation in St Andrew, Barbados in 1728.
The plantation then became home to 250 slaves until slavery was abolished over 100 years later.
When the plantation was forced to close, the Cumberbatch family received £6,000 in compensation for their loss of ‘human property’ – in today’s money which amounts to around £3.6million.
Benedict Cumberbatch starred as plantation owner William Ford in the 2012 film 12 Years A Slave. The actor’s family, who owned their own plantation in Barbados, may now be forced to repay money in reparations.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s seventh great-grandfather bought the Cleland plantation in St Andrew’s in 1728. The plantation then became home to 250 slaves until slavery was abolished over 100 years later.
The British government at the time had taken out a loan to repay slave owners across the Empire – which was only repaid in 2015.
The Barbadian government is now fighting for the ancestors of the slave-owning families to pay for the reparations.
Conservative MP Richard Drax inherited his family’s ancestral sugar cane plantation, which played a major role in the development of the sugar trade between the Caribbean and the United States.
The 250-hectare (617-acre) Drax Hall Plantation currently sits in a prime real estate location on the Vacation Island.
The Oscar-nominated actor first opened up about his family’s ancestry when he appeared in the abolition film Amazing Grace in 2006. At the time, he was half-joking when he took on the role of William Pitt the Younger “as a sort of excuse” for his ancestry.
Cleland Plantation, owned by Cumberbatch’s seventh great-grandfather, housed 250 slaves
When the plantation (pictured) was forced to close, the Cumberbatch family received £6,000 in compensation for their loss of ‘human property’ – in today’s money which amounts to around £3.6million .
Mr Drax is under pressure to return the land to the country and if he refuses, the Barbadian government will seek compensation from an international arbitration tribunal.
If the court ruling is in favor of the island, Mr Drax will be the first descendant of slave-owning families to be successfully prosecuted, opening the door for more plantation-owning ancestors to pay.
Secretary General of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, said The telegraph“All descendants of white plantation owners who benefited from the slave trade should be asked to pay reparations, including the Cumberbatch family.”
Conservative MP Richard Drax (pictured) inherited his family’s ancestral sugar cane plantation, which played a major role in the development of the sugar trade between the Caribbean and the United States.
According to David Denny, a self-proclaimed “revolutionary” from Barbados, Mr Drax is expected to donate “hundreds of millions” for the construction of schools, roads, health centers and other community projects.
Mr Denny had campaigned for Mr Drax to donate “hundreds of millions” for the construction of schools, roads and health centers in Barbados, among other community projects.
David Commisiong, Barbadian ambassador to the Caribbean community, is also advocating for Mr Drax and other slave-owning families to pay for reparations.
He said The telegraph: “Much of this story is only really revealed now.”
Drax traveled to the Caribbean island in October to meet the island’s premier, Mia Mottley, to discuss the future of the former plantation.
David Commisiong (pictured), Barbados Ambassador to the Caribbean Community, is also advocating for Mr Drax and other slave-owning families to pay for reparations
Benedict Cumberbatch as William Pitt the Younger, in Amazing Grace in 2006 – a role he played as a ‘sort of apology’ for his family’s role in the slave trade
It’s unclear whether money from Cumberbatch’s ancestors helped the actor, who was educated at Harrow School.
In 2015, Cumberbatch revealed that his mother, actress Wanda Ventham, had urged him not to use his real surname professionally in case it made him the target of a new Caribbean campaign for redress or compensation. for descendants of slaves.
In 12 Years a Slave, Cumberbatch plays plantation owner William Ford.
The Oscar-nominated actor first opened up about his family’s ancestry when he appeared in the abolition film Amazing Grace in 2006.
At the time, he half-joked taking on the role of William Pitt the Younger “as a sort of excuse” for his ancestry.
MailOnline has contacted Cumberbatch representatives for comment.
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