Slave Trade Felony Act 1811

The Slave Trade Felony Act 1811 (51 Geo. III, c. 23) was a piece of British legislation which made engagement in the slave trade a felony. The earlier Slave Trade Act 1807 merely imposed fines which were insufficient to deter entrepreneurs from engaging in such a profitable business. The contexts in which it could be applied and how these sat within international criminal law gave rise to controversy.

The first case brought under the act was that of Samuel Samo, who was tried by Chief Justice Robert Thorpe at the Vice-Admiralty Court in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The case was heard from 8-11 April 1812.