A TRIBUTE to an Admiral is being removed over his connection to the slave trade.
The plaque in Western Road, Brighton, to Sir Edward Codrington was taken down this morning after website “Topple the racists” listed him as owning slaves.
The tribute to the Battle of Trafalgar and Battle of Navarino Admiral had been placed outside the address where he used to live.
Brighton and Hove City Council said: "After being made aware of an online threat to the Sir Edward Codrington plaque we felt it was appropriate for us to make the building’s owners aware of this.
"We left it to them to decide what action, if any, they wished to take."
READ MORE: Calls for removal of two Brighton plaques due to slavery links>>>
Research from University College London reported that the Admiral inherited the Folly estate on Antigua from his father in 1741.
The research found: “Son of Sir William Codrington 1st bart and father of Christopher Bethell Codrington, Admiral Edward Codrington, Caroline Walrond.
“London merchant, partner with John Miller. Inherited the Folly estate on Antigua from his father in 1741.
“The estate is not mentioned in his own will but he left his unspecified plantations in Antigua and elsewhere in the West Indies equally among his five children.”
This comes as all street names are to be reviewed in Brighton and Hove in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.
A letter calling for action has received 500 signatures since Wednesday afternoon.
Becca Bashford, co-author of the open letter, said: “I’m so glad this plaque has been removed so swiftly.
“It symbolises a part of British history which we should refuse to glorify, and doesn’t reflect the ethos of our amazing city.
“I look forward to seeing the council continue to listen to their community while they review other monuments, and make further efforts to be actively anti-racist and anti-imperialist.”
Labour councillor Nancy Platts made the announcement amid anti-racism protests across the UK in which a slave trader’s statue in Bristol was torn down and thrown into the harbour.
She said: “The Black Lives Matter movement has rightly shone a spotlight on colonial statues and street names in the UK and elsewhere in the world.
“In Brighton and Hove we’re currently reviewing all plaques, monuments, statues and street names on public land to ensure that we’re celebrating legacies that reflect our city’s values.
“We will seek to remove any statues or monuments with clear associations with enslavement or plantations.
“We will talk with the council’s BME Workers Forum, our local BAME communities and historians to ensure we fully understand the history of our statues and street names and we’ll work collaboratively to commission new street art installations which celebrate the Black community.
“I would like people to contact me directly if they are aware of any statues, monuments, street or building names which cause them concern.
“We’re also aware of two plaques that have been identified on a website for removal.
“These are on private property.
“We’ll be contacting the owners to ask them to consider their appropriateness.”
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