Thomas Clarkson was born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, in 1760 and married Catherine, daughter of William Buck. He died at Playford Hall, near Ipswich, Suffolk, in 1846. Throughout his life, Clarkson was a tireless campaigner against slavery. He was one of the founder members of a parliamentary committee established in 1787 for the suppression of the slave trade, and became vice president, with William Wilberforce, of the Anti-Slavery Society after its formation in 1823. He published a large number of works, largely on the subject of slavery, and made several campaigning journeys not only in England but also abroad, meeting members of the French government in Paris in 1789 and the Emperor of Russia at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1818. He was awarded the freedom of the City of London in 1839.

For further information see the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.