Description:

This bell was a gift from a Bristol slave trader Thomas Jones to his African trading partner Robin John, in Old Calabar (now Nigeria, West Africa). Gifts were exchanged between European and African traders to maintain the sometimes troubled relationship between them.

The Society of Merchant Venturers is a Bristol-based organisation, which was formed in 1552 as an elite body of merchants involved in overseas trade. The Society still exists today.

Date: unknown

Copyright: Copyright The Society of Merchant Venturers