Benjamin Lay
American Quaker activist · Musicians · Lived 1682 to 1759 · aged 77
Benjamin Lay was an English-born writer, farmer and activist. Born in Copford, Essex into a Quaker family, he underwent an apprenticeship as a glovemaker before running away to London and finding work as a sailor.
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In 1718, Lay moved to the British colony of Barbados, which operated a plantation economy dependent on slave labour. While working as a merchant, his shock at the brutal treatment of slaves in Barbados led Lay to develop lifelong abolitionist principles, which were reinforced by his humanitarian ideals and Quaker beliefs.
