Show SLAVERY IN OLD ENGLAND the mot hot entirely abolished well on in the seventeenth century slavery in england was of very ancient Uan standing ding caesar states that it existed as an institution among the celts belts and in roman england the conquered natives were held in a state of serfdom in saxon and early norman times the children of the old english peasantry and captives taken 1 in n war were sold like cattle in bristol bristo i market and many were exported to scotland and ireland doomsday book states that the slaves numbered twenty five thousand soon af after ter the conquest the distinct slave class ceased to exist and the slaves were merged with the lower class of under the general designation of villains vil leins the villains vil leina leins in early feudal times were annexed to the land and were devisable as goods and chattels but in process of time the higher class of villains vil leins gained a title to the land on which they worked and after the reign of richard IL II we wc find little reference to although the church had early succeeded in putting an end to the english slave traffic by the canon of the council of 1102 slavery was never abolished by any positive enactment and according to the brooklyn eagle it was not till 1660 that the last remnants of the feudal system were finally swept away slavery was abolished but slavery did not cease for until the time of george III colliers were bought and sold and if they left the estate estat e to which they belonged were brought back by force it was not till the year 1775 that an act was passed by which they were declared free and were put on the same footing as other servants |