Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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London and the transatlantic slave trade
[…]
The Royal Adventurers.
“In 1660, the king granted a charter to the Royal Adventurers into Africa. Supporters of the new company included:
members of the royal family
important nobles
major London merchants.
Samuel Pepys also became a shareholder.
Rise and fall
The company quickly established its trade in gold, enslaved people and African goods. Some of the gold brought from West Africa was minted into coins, which were soon popularly known as ‘guineas’.
In 1665, it was estimated that the company earned £100,000 from the trade in enslaved Africans, which had become an important part of its activities. Thousands were transported in company ships to the West Indies.
But the company’s finances were never on a sound footing. Private traders removed any advantage of the monopoly over the African trade. In 1672, the Royal Adventurers ceased trading.” http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConNarrative.103/chapterId/2252/London-and-the-transatlantic-slave-trade.html