The family of Benedict Cumberbatch could be forced to pay reparations to Barbados as the island state seeks reparations from the families of slave owners.
The actor’s seventh great grandfather bought the Cleland plantation in St Andrew, Barbados in 1728.
It was home to 250 slaves before the abolition of slavery more than 100 years later.
But now the government of Barbados is stepping up efforts to claim reparations from the ancestors of slave owning families, the Telegraph reports.
Tory MP Richard Drax, who inherited his family’s ancestral sugar plantation, is under huge pressure to hand back hundreds of acres on the island.
If he refuses, Barbados could take him to court – paving the way for further claims against the wealthy descendants of former slave-owning families.
David Denny, general secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, told the Telegraph: ‘Any descendants of white plantation owners who have benefitted from the slave trade should be asked to pay reparations, including the Cumberbatch family.’
‘The money should be used to turn the local clinic into a hospital, support local schools, and improve infrastructure and housing.’
The British Government at the time had taken out a loan to repay slave owners across the Empire – which was only repaid as recently as 2015.
The government in Barbados is now in the process of fighting for the ancestors of slave-owning families to pay back reparations.
Conservative MP Richard Drax inherited his family’s ancestral sugar plantation, that played a major role in developing the sugar trade between the Caribbean and the US.
The 250-hectare (617 acres) Drax Hall plantation currently lies in a prime real estate spot on the holiday island.
