John Knight

John Knight (1708–1774) was an English slave trader. He was responsible for at least 114 slave voyages in the period 1750–1775 and he transported over 26,000 Africans to the Americas. Knight traded enslaved Africans with the American politician and slave owner Henry Laurens. Early life Knight was born in Liverpool in 1708. His father, John Knight, was a physician. Slave trade Knight was responsible for at least 114 slave voyages in the period 1750–1775, he delivered over 26,000 Africans to the Americas. He operated out of the Port of Liverpool and bought over 40% of his enslaved people from the Bight of Biafra off the West African coast, in the easternmost part of the Gulf of Guinea. In Nigeria, the Bight of Biafra has now been renamed the Bight of Bonny. The Bight of Biafra was commonly used by Liverpool slave traders.