London’s City University changes name of Cass Business School

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London’s City University changes name of its Cass Business School because of Sir John Cass’ slavery links

  • City University business school was named after 17th Century merchant in 2002 
  • The Cass Business School was given a donation by the Sir John Cass foundation
  • However, both the business school and the foundation will change their names
  • It comes after the Black Lives Matter movement led to questions being asked of historical British figures with links to the slave trade 

By Danyal Hussain For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

London‘s City University is to change the name of its prestigious Cass Business School, because of Sir John Cass’ links to slavery.

The business school was named after the 17th Century merchant in 2002, after a donation from the Sir John Cass foundation. 

However, both the university and the foundation have acknowledged Cass’ slavery links, with the foundation adding it would be changing its name also. 

It was set up in 1748 and funds works across London to help disadvantaged young people.

The business school and the foundation are the latest organisations to remove Cass’ name because of his slavery links.  

A statue of Sir John Cass is in the process of being torn down by the foundation that bears his name

London's City University has said that its governing council had decided unanimously that continuing to use his name for its business school 'was incompatible with City's values of diversity and inclusion'

London’s City University has said that its governing council had decided unanimously that continuing to use his name for its business school ‘was incompatible with City’s values of diversity and inclusion’

His foundation is also in the process of taking down his statue in Jewry St, central London and his bust was also removed from a church in mid-June.     

Cass is described on the foundation’s website as ‘a merchant and politician, whose wealth posthumously was used to create the Foundation to deliver educational benefits to disadvantaged children’. 

However, he was also heavily involved in the early development of the slave trade and the Atlantic slave economy.

Cass dealt directly with slave agents in the African forts and in the Caribbean and was a member of the Court of Assistants of the Royal African Company between 1705 and 1708, which helped develop and sustain the slave trade. 

Following the death of George Floyd in the US, Black Lives Matter protests have spread across the globe, with statues of historic figures linked to the slave trade toppled. 

London’s City University has now said that its governing council had decided unanimously that continuing to use the name ‘was incompatible with City’s values of diversity and inclusion’.

Who was Sir John Cass? 

Sir John Cass (1661- 1718) was a merchant, politician and Alderman for the ancient London ward of Portsoken, in 1711 was elected a Sheriff of London and later knighted.

Cass was responsible for helping the slave trade to establish across the Atlantic. 

He dealt with slave agents in the African forts and Caribbean. 

Cass was a member of the Court of Assistants of the Royal African Company between 1705 and 1708 and bequeathed shares in the Royal African Company on his death. 

The Royal African Company was established by Royal  Charter under King Charles II. It gave a monopoly to the on trading in Slaves from ports in West. British slave trader Edward Colston played a large part in the running of the company.

Cass also founded an educational charity, Sir John Cass’s Foundation, which still exists to this day.

The charity provides education for disadvantaged youth across London. 

For now, the business school will be be referred to as City’s Business School, before a new name is decided.

Julia Palca, head of the City Council, said: ‘We acknowledge the great pain and hurt caused to members of our City and business school community and to many black people by the association of the wchool’s name with the slave trade.

‘Any continued use of Sir John Cass’ name would be seen as condoning someone whose wealth in part derived from the exploitation of slavery. This is incompatible with our values of diversity and inclusivity. We have therefore taken the decision to remove the name.’ 

A spokesman for Sir John Cass’s Foundation said the charity was also now ‘committed to a name change’.

A statement said: ‘We also continued to celebrate Sir John Cass without explaining or acknowledging his connection to slavery and human exploitation or the hurt and anger this has caused amongst our beneficiaries and our community.

‘We recognise, acknowledge, seek to understand, and apologise for the public hurt and anger. So let us be clear: we no longer consider the Sir John Cass name appropriate to represent us and the work that we do in this century or in the future.’

It comes after a portrait of a Battle of Waterloo hero the Queen has hanging in Windsor Castle had its accompanying gallery and online description changed to include his links to slavery.

Historical details of the painting of Sir Thomas Picton have been altered to include a reference to torturing a slave girl when he was the ‘Tyrant of Trinidad’.

Now the Royal Collection Trust’s physical register at the gallery as well as the website detail the story of his cruelty as governor of the island.

Previously it had featured no mention of this grim part of the British Army officer’s history. 

Picton was known for his brutal regime on Trinidad and ordered the torture of Luisa Calderon, 14, by hoisting her up by her arms in what would nowadays be called a stress position.