William Murray, (1705-1793) 1st Earl of Mansfield

 

William Murray,(1705-1793), the 1st Earl of Mansfield, as Lord Chief Justice, decided the important case of Somersett in 1772, a runaway black slave of whom he found in favour. Lord Mansfield’s ruling to discharge Somersett so that he could not be forcibly taken out of the country, had huge implications for British traders.
Kenwood would have been at the centre of discussions about the ending of slavery. Lord Mansfield died at Kenwood on 20th March 1793.

William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield
by David Martin 1775
Reproduced by kind permission of English Heritage