This book investigates the formation of a vast business empire centered on slavery in the British Atlantic from the mid-seventeenth to the early nineteenth centuries. It examines this world through the lens of aristocratic families from Yorkshire who invested in the West Indies, focusing on the plantation-owning Lascelles family and the extensive commercial and cultural network they established with their associates across North America, Africa, and Europe.

The book offers a detailed examination of the economic and social structures underpinning the British Atlantic slave system, as exemplified by the Lascelles family. It highlights the interconnectedness of global trade and the role of aristocratic investment in perpetuating slavery. The work is likely to be of interest to scholars of economic history, Atlantic history, and the history of slavery. Its focus on a specific family provides a grounded perspective on broader historical trends.