Who is Robert Milligan
Robert Milligan was a Scottish merchant who was a prominent slave owner and trader. Milligan was born on August 19th, 1746, and was born into a slave-owning family. Milligan was a father to five boys and three girls. Milligan also owned two sugar plantations in Jamacia and had 526 slaves. A large majority of his wealth was accrued from owning slave shops as well as selling slaves. Robert Milligan had a prominent role in being responsible for the construction of the West India Docks, which was created to efficiently be able to handle the large amounts of goods being imported from slave plantations. With the completion of the docks, the docks had a 21-year monopoly on goods such as sugar, rum, and coffee that were imported and produced by slaves. Robert Milligan died on May 21st, 1809, in Hampstead at 63.
“Robert Milligan” by Lemuel Francis Abbott is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
A Painting of Robert Milligan
Who built the Robert Milligan Monument?
Richard Westmacott was the artist who made the Robert Milligan memorial. Richard Westmacott was a sculptor born In London and was primarily a sculptor in the neo-classical style. Richard Westmacott was commissioned by the West India Dock Company to build the memorial of Robert Milligan and started to work on the monument in May of 1809, following Robert Milligan’s death.
Why was the Monument Built?
Robert Milligan’s memorial was commissioned by the West India Dock Company to Richard Westmacott to represent what he considered Milligan to be: a genius who cared deeply and persevered through anything. The point of the memorial was to memorialize Milligan for his contributions to the construction of the West India Dock. Due to Milligan’s contributions to the construction of the Dock, other merchants were able to import goods produced by slaves. This is one of the reasons why there was a memorial put up of Milligan and why the West India Dock Company commissioned Westmacott to sculpt the memorial.
“Statue of Robert Milligan – geograph.org.uk – 3978113” by N Chadwick is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
A photo of Robert Milligan’s memorial (Front)
When and why was it built in this time period?
Richard Westmacott was commissioned to build this statue in 1808. It was finally unveiled four years later in 1813 near the dock offices for over 60 years before being moved to the main gate for an additional 68 years. The reason this was built in the 19th century is because that is around the time Milligan was nearing his death. It was a trend during the first half of that century to put up statues to commemorate people who were seen as deserving of it. Milligan’s statue was commissioned by the West India Docks, which is what he contributed heavily to the success of. It was their way of showing their appreciation for his creativity and work done towards the docks.
What message does this monument send?
The monument of Robert Milligan is meant to memorialize him and send a message that he was a great man of his time. The memorial is meant to make Milligan seem like a hero, and the West India Dock Company wanted his death to be commemorated. The message being sent is that Milligan was a great man of his era, and it seemed like he had an important role in what he did throughout his life.
Symbolism?
On the back panel of the memorial, it says,
To perpetuate on this spot the memory of Richard Milligan, a merchant of London, to whose genius, perseverance and guardian care the surrounding great work principally owes its design, accomplishments, and regulation, the directors and proprietors, deprived by his death on the 21st May 1809 of the continuance of his invaluable services, by their unanimous vote have caused this statue to be erected.
(Open Plaques, 2024).
This symbolism shows how the people during his time viewed Robert Milligan and how Milligan’s contributions to the West India Dock were seen as genius.
“Robert Milligan d 1809. Statue ,E14, with it’s (sic) extra apostrophe” by sludgegulper is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
A photo of the back of Robert Milligan’s memorial (Back).
What did people think about the monument when it was built?
Robert Milligan was the head of the construction of the West India Docks in London, which is why it was commissioned by them. They wanted to show their appreciation and gratitude for him and his creation, so they insisted on having his statue be present at the main gate. He was seen as a genius for persisting in building the docks, and for doing that, he made it easier for slave owners to import slave produced goods more efficiently. Robert Milligan was perceived as a great man during his time period due to all of his contributions throughout his life.
What do people think about the monument now and why?
This monument now represents the unfair and unjust power that slaveowners once had and their treatment of human beings who don’t deserve to be recognized or praised in any way. Over 5,000 people signing a petition to get it removed says enough about the little value it holds in modern times. People do not like the fact that Robert Milligan was memorized, especially since he had a prominent role in slave trading, and now his monument is heavily looked down upon. This monument became really controversial, and people fought to get this memorial taken down due to what it represents. This memorial was meant to memorialize Milligan for his “genius and perseverance.” The genius and perseverance were referring to the creation of the West India Docks to import more goods produced by slaves that Robert Milligan had owned. People now wanted to have the monument taken down to show that people today do not associate with the actions of the people of the past, such as Robert Milligan.
Has the general public view of the statue changed since it was built?
Yes, the general view has changed drastically. Robert Milligan used to be a highly appreciated and recognized man who made a significant contribution to the docks. He is known and regarded for the same thing, but the fact that he was a slaveowner makes his flaws outshine his contributions. Two centuries ago, his being a slaveowner was not exactly an issue due to the norm it had become in society. Those who did not agree with slavery were seen as a minority who had little to no power to voice their thoughts and opinions. The general consensus on Milligan took a turn for the worse for him, his legacy, and his memorial.
Why was the monument taken down?
The monument was taken down after a widely popular petition was hosted by the website 38 Degrees, which encourages people to power and advocate for change. This petition was created by Councilor Haque, who sent a message to the authorities, letting them know about his petition It ended up reaching over 5,000 signatures, which was enough to make The Canal & Rivers Trust arrange to have it removed. This came shortly after people started protesting for all statues that had any links to slavery to be taken down. We saw this with the Black Lives Matter Protest in 2020. Once the memorial of another known slave trader, Edward Colston, was taken down, Robert Milligan’s memorial was next. Protesters had vandalized the memorial with a tarp covering Milligan’s face, and protesters also put a cardboard piece in his hand that said, “Black Lives Matter.” Due to the controversy that the memorial had, it was eventually taken down and relocated to the Museum of London. However, the plinth still remains at the West India Docks, where the memorial once stood at. The plinth is still there due to there not being a decision on where it should go.
“Statue of Robert Milligan, West India Quay on 9 June 2020 – statue covered and with Black Lives Matter sign 03” by Chris McKenna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
A photo of Robert Milligan’s memorial Vandalized (Front)
Where is the monument now?
Robert Milligan’s statue was donated to the Museum of London by the Canal & River Trust in March of 2022 to “recognize the wishes of the community” (“London Slavery Statue Removed from Outside Musem,”2020) after getting the 5,000 signatures protesting to take the monument down.
Overall history of the monument
The Robert Milligan Memorial was unveiled for the first time in 1813 where the monument was placed near the West India Dock offices due to his major contributions to the West India Dock. In 1875, the memorial was moved to the Main Gate of the docks until 1943, when it was placed in storage for the latter half of World War Two. Fifty-four years later, Robert Milligan’s memorial was re-erected in February of 1997 outside the No.1 Warehouse at the West India Docks. When the monument was re-erected in 1997, the monument was no longer memorialized and was looked down upon by people. Now that the information of Robert Milligan’s past is more accessible and with modern times, his past was really looked down upon. Finally, in 2020, with the Black Lives Matter movement, the memorial eventually got the signatures it needed to be taken down. After the Robert Milligan Memorial was taken down from its plinth, it was eventually donated and relocated to the Museum of London by the Canal & River Trust in March of 2022.
References
Dresser, M. ‘Set in Stone? Statues and Slavery in London’. History Workshop Journal: HWJ, vol. 64, no. 1, Oxford University Press (OUP), Jan. 2007, pp. 162–199, https://doi.org/10.1093/hwj/dbm032.
Duffield, Charlie. ‘Who Was Robert Milligan? Why Statue of the Slave Trader Was Pulled down Outside London Docklands Museum’. The i Paper, 10 June 2020, https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/robert-milligan-statue-slave-trader-london-who-pulled-down-docklands-museum-442517?srsltid=AfmBOooQKeNXB2EGGAPN6-gK-ktKGzOF3mehZVYEQeDZuAvCMMuZ42U1.
Steed, Les. ‘Who Was Robert Milligan and Where Is His Statue?’ The Sun, The Sun, 10 June 2020, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11826120/who-robert-milligan-where-statue/.
The. ‘Robert Milligan: Workers Remove Statue of Slave Trader in London.’ The Independent, 10 June 2020, https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/robert-milligan-statue-docklands-removed-slave-trader-west-india-quay-a9557686.html.
BBC News. ‘Robert Milligan: Slave Trader Statue Removed from Outside London Museum.’ BBC, BBC News, 9 June 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-52977088.
Adams, Geraldine Kendall. ‘Museum of London Acquires Statue Removed during Black Lives Matter Protests.’ Museums Association, 25 Mar. 2022, https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2022/03/museum-of-london-acquires-statue-removed-during-black-lives-matter-protests/.
Open Plaques. Robert Milligan Bronze Plaque. https://openplaques.org/plaques/9813. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
PLSG. ‘Robert Milligan: Founder of the West India Docks and Slave Owner by Ian McBrayne.’ The Port of London Study Group, 7 Feb. 2017, https://portoflondonstudy.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/robert-milligan-founder-of-the-west-india-docks-and-slave-owner-by-ian-mcbrayne/.
‘Slavery Legacies: Removing Controversial Statues in London’. London Museum, https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/slavery-legacies-removing-controversial-statues-in-london/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
‘Robert Milligan’s Statue’. 38 Degrees, 11 June 2020, https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2020/06/11/robert-milligans-statue/.
