Description:

Volume 2, number 2 of an anti-slavery pamphlet, called The Slaves Friend. Framed.

The article shown on the right of this detail is called The Coffle Yoke.
Slaves would have a U-shaped piece of metal, or yoke , put around their necks. The yoke was attached to a long pole. The pole contained a number of yokes, each holding one slave.This meant that the slaves were chained together by their necks in a line, or coffle . There is an illustration of a coffle yoke at the top of the page.

The article The Coffle Yoke features a father, Mr Murray, explaining to his daughter, Ellen, what a coffle yoke is.The page reads:
Ellen: I never heard the word coffle before you took the anti-slavery newspapers, and I do not know exactly what it means. Will you tell me, dear father?
Mr Murray: I will, my child. Coffle means a number of slaves chained, or handcuffed, or yoked together…

Contributed by John Judkyn Memorial.

Copyright: The American Museum in Britain, Bath

Object ID:66.77