The Church of England’s Project Spire, a £100 million reparative justice initiative addressing the denomination’s historical connections to enslavement, has encountered a legal challenge. The project was established following 2023 research into Queen Anne’s Bounty, a church endowment fund dating to 1704.
Investigations revealed that the fund had invested in the South Sea Company, which transported more than 34,000 enslaved people across the Atlantic. The fund also received donations from individuals including Edward Colston, a prominent figure in the Royal African Company, an enslaving enterprise. In response, the Church Commissioners committed £100 million in funding, which is expected to support an impact investment fund focused on ventures benefiting descendant communities with social and environmental objectives alongside financial returns.
During General Synod proceedings in York, various perspectives on the initiative were presented. Daniel Matovu, a barrister representing the diocese of Oxford, stated the church had not only profited from the slave trade but “supported, defended and participated in” it. He noted research suggesting the church generated approximately £5 million annually from directly operating sugar plantations in Barbados between 1710 and 1838, totaling roughly £640 million in current monetary value.
Project Spire has drawn opposition from the Policy Exchange thinktank and some Conservative politicians, as well as Church of England members who characterize it as historically flawed and argue funds should be directed elsewhere. Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, characterized the project as a “work of healing, justice and repair.” Graham Usher, the bishop of Norwich, acknowledged that no monetary amount could compensate for historical enslavement while affirming the initiative represents a necessary beginning. Usher confirmed the legal challenge and indicated Church Commissioners were obtaining full legal counsel. He also noted that staff had experienced significant hostile communications. The Anglican missionary organization USPG established its own £7 million reparative justice project in 2024 following an apology for owning two Barbados plantations where thousands were enslaved.
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