Most people know of William Wilberforce and his fight to abolish slavery. Tim Tubbs in his talk explained what moved William to take on this fight, how he achieved what he did, and what kind of man he was.  By the end of Tim’s talk it was as if we had known William Wilberforce personally.

William was the son of a rich Baltic trader based in Hull. He was small in stature with poor eyesight and poor health. When he was 9 years old his father dies. William lived briefly with his uncle in Wimbledon. He was soon brought back to Hull and changed schools to avoid the then dreaded influence of evangelists and, even worse, Methodists.

Tim told us of William’s life of idleness and pleasure as a young man after inheriting even more money. He was known for his beautiful speaking and singing voice. Tim talked about his friendship with William Pitt whom he met at Cambridge University. It was Pitt who encouraged Wilberforce to buy a seat in parliament.

While holidaying in France with friends, Wilberforce had what Tim described as a “road to Damascus” moment. He vowed to remain in politics with much more dedication and with Christian principles. It was Thomas Clarkson who asked William to be the mouthpiece for the abolition of slavery in parliament.

Tim pondered how difficult this would have been when in 1780 80% of Britain’s earning came from the slave trade. He took us through the chronology of the political fight to abolish first the slave trade and then slavery itself.  The story had twists and turns involving for example the French revolution and aftermath.

Tim concluded with more insights into William’s person life. At the age of 30 he married Barbara Spooner, and had a happy marriage with many children.  One of William’s faults was his lack of personal organisation.  He was often unable to find things. Also, he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of aging servants.

William died in 1833 and is honoured by being buried in Westminster Abbey.  James Boswell the biographer refers to William Wilberforce as the shrimp turned into a whale.

In her vote of thanks Delphine Kaye reflected that William Wilberforce deserved to die a happy man.