Tour of the Royall House and Slave Quarters

https://royallhouse.org/

We ask that everyone who attends the conference and especially everyone who participates in this tour read the petition from Belinda Sutton.

Belinda Sutton, also known as Belind Royall, was an African woman born in Ghana in 1713 who was enslaved by the Royall family.  A donation from the Royall family’s estate was used to fund Harvard Law School’s first law professorship. The family’s crest was used in Harvard Law School’s official seal up until 2016 when a law school committee voted to retire it because of its ties to slavery. This was prompted by a student movement “Royall Must Fall” campaigning for its removal.

In 1783, Belinda Sutton petitioned the Massachusetts General Court requesting a pension from the proceeds of her enslaver’s estate. She was granted an annual pension of fifteen pounds and twelve shillings. This is considered one of the very first slavery reparation cases.

Here is the text of the petition:

https://royallhouse.org/belinda-suttons-1783-petition-full-text/

Here is a copy of the actual petition: https://royallhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Belindas_Petition.pdf

The Royall House will provide a special guided tour. They do require an entry fee of $20 per participant.

There are three ways to get to the Royall House via Public Transportation.

Bus – Take the Harvard #97 Bus from Harvard Square and it will drop you off in front of the Royall House.

T –  Take the T Stop from Harvard (Red Line) to Davis (Red Line) and Walk to the Royall House.

OR

T – Take the T Stop from Harvard (Red Line) to Park Street (Red Line). Change to the Green Line and get off at Medford/Tufts. From there, walk from College Avenue to George Street until you reach the Royall House.

Use Google or Apple Maps to Get Specific Walking Directions.