Locals Install Blue Plaque on Falmouth Church in Protest Over Slave Trader Memorial

Published On: 19 May 2025Last Updated: 19 May 2025By CornishStuff

A large blue heritage-style plaque has been fixed to the front of King Charles the Martyr Church in Falmouth, installed early on Sunday 18th May by a group of local residents protesting against a memorial inside the church that celebrates the life of Falmouth slave trader Thomas Corker.

The 1.2 metre sign, which appeared overnight, draws attention to Corker’s role as England’s chief agent for the Royal African Company on York Island. Corker oversaw and profited from the kidnap, enslavement and sale of African people. The company was responsible for shipping more enslaved men, women and children to the Americas than any other trading company in the world.

Installed to Coincide with New Bishop’s Arrival

The group, who remain anonymous, said the plaque was timed to coincide with the enthronement of the new Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd David Williams.

“We installed the blue sign to coincide with the enthronement of the new Bishop of Truro – the Rt Revd David Williams, and to appeal to him to proactively address the harm the Falmouth Slave Trader Memorial continues to cause,” a spokesperson said.

“Despite four years of calls from our community, the Church have time and time again failed to meaningfully confront this harm, instead recently choosing to commission yet another historical report on the issue – Effectively kicking the ball even further down the road.”

The group said the plaque was paid for using private donations from within the Falmouth community.

Church Commissioned Expert Report

The church’s most recent commissioned report was carried out by historian Dr Alice Kinghorn, who specialises in the Church of England’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

Dr Kinghorn’s report notes that King Charles the Martyr Church contains “a large number of memorials with colonial connections” and that the church plans to relocate the Corker memorial to a “less prominent position” at the rear of the building, with the addition of educational material.

In her findings, Dr Kinghorn writes that “the continuing presence of a memorial glorifying a slave trader is inappropriate in a place of worship” and states that “Churches are not the most appropriate space to teach people about chattel enslavement.” Her report concludes:

“Due to the delayed process in addressing the Corker Memorial, it has now become a symbol of frustration with the Church of England’s response to racism and the legacies of African chattel enslavement.”

Previous Protest Drew National Attention

Back in October 2024, the same group installed a brass information plaque next to the Corker memorial without the church’s permission. That action gained both local and national media coverage at the time.

The brass plaque was later removed by the church, who said it caused “unnecessary distress” to volunteers and detracted “from the very good and inclusive work we are doing”.

Following the incident, the memorial became the second most popular historical site in Falmouth on TripAdvisor, behind Pendennis Castle. Reviews praised the addition of the plaque.

“We Will Continue to Escalate Our Actions”

A second spokesperson for the group said the blue plaque is just the next step in a campaign that will continue until the church makes a more decisive move.

“The Falmouth Slave Trader Memorial is a blot on our town. As such we will continue to escalate our actions until the church address the ongoing harm it causes to the people whose families have been directly impacted.”

“If the memorial isn’t promptly either removed or displayed alongside a clear, prominent and uncensored acknowledgement of Corker’s atrocities, then we will have no choice but to take further action. Hiding from both the evils of the past and the heartfelt voices of our community, should never be seen as an acceptable course of action.”