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With the anniversary of Britain's abolition of the slave trade approaching, the Government has been keen to recognise the importance of this event.

The issues surrounding Britain's slaving past, however, are not a new consideration for our staff and students at Lady Hawkins’ School in Kington, Herefordshire.

For a school in a land-locked county, we have a surprising and not entirely comfortable link to Britain's first slave trader.

In the entrance hall to the school stands the portrait of Lady Margaret Hawkins, a lady of Queen Elizabeth I's Chamber and second wife of Sir John Hawkins.

Lady Margaret was born into the Vaughan family, which had long dominated the border region around Kington.

With her death in 1619, she bequeathed £800 'for the purchasing of lands or tenements of a yearly value of forty pounds for and towards the perpetual maintenance of a learned and choice preaching divine, the Master, to keep a free school in Kington, in the County of Hereford, and of a learned and discreet Usher under him, for the instructing and teaching of youths and children in literature and good education.'

Lady Margaret's kindness established the school which carries her name; however this kindness almost certainly was made possible through the fortune her husband made in slave trading.

_{Money from slavery}

Sir John Hawkins was born in Plymouth in 1532, the son of a wealthy sea captain. As a young man he learnt the ways of the sea and dreamed of making riches through journeys to far away lands.

In 1562 he sailed with three small vessels to the west coat of Africa, where he captured 500 Africans to sell as slaves.

In what must have been terrible conditions for the captives, he then transported his human cargo to Santo Domingo, in the West Indies, and traded them for pearls, hides, ginger and sugar.

The Spanish colonists, though forbidden by their government in Madrid to trade with any other nation, eagerly bought the slaves to work their plantations.

John Hawkins had become the first Englishman to sail the triangular route for this shameful trade.

John Hawkins' second voyage two years later was equally profitable, but this time had Royal approval and Hawkins was able to sail under the Royal Standard.

The voyage brought more wealth back to England for the Crown, the expedition’s courtly financiers and the Hawkins' family.

Image of slavery from the Rum Story.

However it also increasingly antagonised the Spanish Crown.

Hawkins’ third slaving expedition met with disaster off the coast of San Juan de Ulua in 1568.Ìý

Accompanied by his cousin Sir Francis Drake, John Hawkins had already broken Spanish law by selling his cargo of slaves in the Caribbean islands.

After they sought refuge for their six ships in the harbour of Veracruz, an armed Spanish fleet attacked.

Only the vessels commanded by Hawkins and by Drake were able to escape.

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Hawkins' slaving story ended with this third voyage, though for another twenty years he loyally served the Crown as treasurer and controller of the navy, building up the fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada.

He died in 1595 along with his cousin Drake on an expedition hoping to rescue his only son, Richard, who was held captive by the Spanish in Lima.Ìý

For all of Hawkins' achievements, however, his role in establishing Britain’s slave trade route is one that overshadows all others for us at Lady Hawkins’ School.

It is part of our shameful past that we make every attempt to learn from.

Slavery and its abolition, and racism and its causes, form a vital element to our teaching of History at the school.

Our students have taken their studies into slavery and racism further and are actively giving back to communities in Africa.

Our Fair Trade 'Harambe' group makes a small step towards fighting modern day 'slavery' in Africa and our school links with Nagiko in Uganda have provided resources for the local school and children.

Our school's story seems to have gone full circle: our sixteenth century slave trade links are being redressed by today's generation of schoolchildren.

_{Nic and students published a book on Sir John Hawkins in 2003. The book can be purchased for £2.50 (P & P included).Ìý Please log onto the school website www.lhs.hereford.sch.uk for more details.}