Earlier this year, the Black Lives Matter protests threw an unexpected light on Brecon. The plaque commemorating Captain Thomas Phillips, on Captain's Walk, was taken down by persons unknown because of Captain Phillips' connections to the slave trade. As Captain of the Hannibal, he was responsible for a voyage during which 328 of the 700 Africans on board died, and 18 of the crew. When he retired to Brecon, he wrote a book about it, A Journal of a Voyage Made in the Hannibal 1693 - 4 to Africa and Barbadoes.
Now a decision has been made about what to do with the plaque, which will not be returned to its original position. Instead, it will be donated to Y Gaer museum by Brecon Town Council, where it will be part of a new exhibit giving more details about the voyage and the slave trade Captain Phillips was involved in.
Further discussions are taking place to decide whether a new plaque should be commissioned, focusing on the victims of the slave trade, or whether a suitable piece of art could be loaned to the Council.
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