Church court hearing considers whether to REMOVE statue of Jesus College Cambridge benefactor Tobias Rustat over his links to major slave trading company

 An ecclesiastical court will determine if a memorial to a 17th century benefactor who invested in slave-trading companies can remain in a Cambridge University college's chapel.

Jesus College has submitted an application to the Diocese of Ely to relocate an ornate memorial to Tobias Rustat, an investor in the Royal African Company and servant to King Charles II, from its chapel to a permanent exhibition space in the college. Academics with the college and Cambridge's Stand Up to Racism branch have backed plans to move the marble plaque to an archive room with further information giving placing it within a historical context.  

But because Rustat's memorial resides in a Grade I-listed religious building, the case cannot be independently determined by the university and instead will be heard by a church-appointed judge at a consistory case. 

The unique hearing, which opened today, will determine the fate of the monument to Rustat - who donated £2,000, the equivalent to £450,000 today, to fund scholarships for the children of Anglican priests. 

Justin Gau, speaking for those opposed to the removal, asked the court 'where, for example, in the gospels is slavery condemned?' during Wednesday's hearing. 

Reverend James Crockford, the college's dean of the chapel, shot back at the barrister and warned students may not be able to exercise 'critical thinking' if they are disturbed by the memorial.  

Preservationists, alumni and Rustat's descendants have opposed the removal of the memorial - arguing that his contributions to Cambridge were not earned from his financial interests in the slave trade.

And Historic England warned the removal of Rustat's sculpture would 'harm the significance of Jesus College Chapel'.

The case has prompted fresh fears over the proliferation of 'cancel culture' at academic institutions across the country, as the university's historic rival, Oxford, faced similar calls to topple its monument to imperialist Cecil Rhodes.

Cambridge University's Jesus College proposes removing the memorial to 17th benefactor Tobias Rustat from the chapel

Jesus College set up a Legacy of Slavery Working Party, which recommended Rustat should not be celebrated by the college 

Justin Gau argued on Wednesday that Rustat must be judged 'as a whole and as part of his society', before warning that we 'should not remove the difficulties that life throws at us in a chapel.'

Reading from students' emails that accused the 17th century courtier of being an active slave trader, Mr Gau challenged that assumption, stating there had been 'no demonstration in any document that Tobias Rustat was any sort of slave trader'.

A student's email dated December 19, 2020 said Mr Rustat 'amassed much of his wealth from the RAC', which Mr Gau said is 'simply not true'.

The email continued: 'The college has clearly denounced its bequest from Rustat as morally repugnant.' The email also claimed the memorial commemorated 'white supremacy'. 

Rev Crockford replied: 'We should indeed be understanding individuals within their context, before adding: 'The memorial focuses very much on the financial virtues of Tobias Rustat and so there's a particular lens within which we need to see this memorial.'

He told Mr Gau that, as he understands it, the 'discomfort' of undergraduates and fellows regarding the memorial relates to the 'difficulty and significance of a monument that celebrates the life of the man... and his financial dealings'.    

Jesus College's application to the Diocese states that keeping the memorial within the chapel is 'inconsistent with the tenets of the Christian faith', and is a 'hindrance to participation in the pastoral and community activities of the college which take place in the chapel'. 

The marble memorial is on a wall within the college's chapel and was commissioned by Rustat during his lifetime when he was already a major College donor.

Jesus College has previously said that the monument 'represents a celebration' of Rustat, and its prominent position within the chapel could dissuade people from worshipping there. 

Following recommendations made by the College's Legacy of Slavery Working Party in 2019 and 2020, the college took the view that the memorial represents a celebration of Rustat which is 'incompatible with the chapel as an inclusive community and a place of collective wellbeing'.  

Tobias Rustat (pictured) was a major investor in the Royal African Company and had been a servant to King Charles II

University benefactor and slave trade investor: Life of Tobias Rustat - and his links to Edward Colston

Tobias Rustat was born in 1606

Tobias Rustat was a 17th century benefactor of the University of Cambridge, as well as a servant to King Charles II.

He created the first fund for the purchase of books at the Cambridge University Library.

Born circa 1606, he trained as an apprentice to a barber-surgeon in his youth before becoming a servant - first to the 2nd Duke of Buckingham and later to the monarch.

He accumulated his wealth during his career as a courtier - but also invested in several trading companies, including the Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa - commonly known as the Royal African Company (RAC).

The Company had complete control of Britain's slave trade, as well as its gold and Ivory business, with Africa and the forts on the coast of west Africa.

Later in life, Rustat became a benefactor to the university, focusing mainly on Jesus College, where his father had been a student. He died in 1694. 

A contemporary of Rustat was Edward Colston, who became Deputy Governor of the Royal African Company.

During Colston's tenure, his ships transported around 80,000 slaves from Africa to the Caribbean and America. Around 20,000 of them, including around 3,000 or more children, died during the journeys.

Colston's brother Thomas supplied the glass beads that were used to buy the slaves.  Colston used a lot of his wealth, accrued from his extensive slave trading, to build schools and almshouses in his home city.

A statue was erected in his honour as well as other buildings named after him, including Colston Hall. But after years of protests by campaigners and boycotts by artists the venue recently agreed to remove all reference of the trader.  In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, the statue of Colston overlooking the harbour in Bristol was torn down.Archivist Robert Athol said last year that the plan to move the monument to an exhibition setting will 'allow for restoration and study of the monument'.

He added that it 'will enable people to engage with it as an artistic piece and as a vehicle for discussion about the history and legacy of enslavement'. 

But preservationists have slammed plans to move the memorial, which is believed to have been crafted by renowned Anglo-Dutch sculptor Grinling Gibbons.       

Prominent historical figures with alleged slavery links were re-examined after the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 which saw the toppling of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol - a contemporary of Rustat. 

The Master of Jesus College, Sonita Alleyne, said that the college's proposal to relocate the monument to an educational exhibition space was 'part of a process of critical self-reflection on the long-term legacies of enslavement and colonial violence'.

'The chapel should offer a welcoming space accessible to every member of our community,' she said last year. 'This is the right solution for our college.'

Cambridge Stand up to Racism said in a statement: ' 

One of those present told the Cambridge Independent: 'The meeting was attended by 18 anti-racist activists in Cambridge including a delegation from Cambridge Campaign against Racism and three Labour councillors and one ex-Labour councillor.

'There was a good nuanced discussion as to what to do with statues which ranged from removing them altogether to leaving them in place with a display, stating that the statue was of a slave trader and the misery that this caused. There was unanimous agreement about the first paragraph of the statement.'

The group said in its statement: 'We strongly support the decolonisation movement active in academic institutions across the country. We support the master of Jesus College, Sonita Alleyne, who wants to move the plaque of the slave trader Tobias Rustat from the chapel.

'Furthermore, we support the removal of the memorial plaque from Jesus College altogether and its placing somewhere where its significance can be properly explained.

'The brutality of a slave trader 'benefactor' has been hidden from history for too long. 

'We supported the removal of Edward Colston's statue in Bristol and we support the campaign by Hackney Stand Up To Racism and Diane Abbott to remove Robert Geffrye's statue from the Museum of the Home in Hackney. 

'We feel that Tobias Rustat is another in the same line of despicable merchants who made their fortunes out of the misery of others.' 

A number of college alumni have also objected to the proposal to move the memorial.

A Jesus College spokesman said last month: 'It comes down to whether it's in the best interests of our current and future students and fellows for this celebratory memorial to be in our Chapel, a place of worship at the heart of our diverse community.'

'The college is not seeking to cancel Rustat or erase him from the record - it is applying to have his memorial moved from a place of worship to a more suitable - but still prominent - place in the college.

'In addition to religious events, the chapel plays a central role in college life and hosts many historic and ceremonial occasions as well as concerts and recitals, welfare activities and student arts festivals.

'The memorial is an obstacle to some members of our community participating in all these college events.'

The Master of Jesus College, Sonita Alleyne, said that the proposal to relocate the monument to an educational exhibition space was 'part of a process of critical self-reflection on the long-term legacies of enslavement and colonial violence'

In February last year, the descendants of Rustat criticised the plans to move the memorial. Stephen Hemsted and his three brothers, Rustat's tenth great nephews, lodged a complaint with the college and argued that the Royal African Company was not the source of money he gave to the institution.

The family told The Times that they regarded Rustat as a 'distinguished ancestor' and added there was 'no justification' for removing the memorial.

Mr Hemsted said of Rustat: 'It's clear that the bulk of his wealth came from things [that were] nothing to do with slavery, so the money that was given to Jesus College clearly has nothing to do with slavery.'

He added: 'We think it's a mistake to try to link his investment in the Royal African Company to this memorial and the bequest he made to Jesus College. There seems to be no justification on slavery grounds for removing the memorial.'

Mr Hemsted had proposed to Ms Alleyne that a notice be put in the chapel explaining both Rustat's generous donations and his links to the slaving company.

He said the college's plan was to remove the memorial entirely and instead have a plaque at the entrance warning people they were stepping into 'a place where Tobias Rustat had put money'.

Rustat's memorial was commissioned by the man himself, and it is prominently displayed in Jesus College's chapel. 

It comes less than a month after a jury spared the 'Colston Four' from punishment after admitting they caused criminal damage when they tore down a monument to slave trader Edward Colston during Black Lives Matter demos in Bristol. 

Rhian Graham, 30, Milo Ponsford, 26, Sage Willoughby, 22, and Jake Skuse, 33, were cleared of all charges at Bristol Crown Court despite admitting to playing a part in the destruction of Colston's historic statue.

Lawyers and political commentators have since slammed the jury's verdict, with some admitting they fear that the 17th century slaver was put on trial at Bristol Crown Court, rather than the four self-professed vandals.